MUZAFFARABAD: The Wildlife Department on Monday confirmed the sudden death of a young male markhor at the Patikka Wildlife Park near Muzaffarabad, with postmortem findings suggesting cardiac arrest as the most likely cause.

Officials said the animal was first spotted on October 28 when a shepherd from Basaha’n village of the Phaala Game Reserve, located along the Line of Control (LoC) in Haveli district,informed wildlife authoritiesthata “wild goat” had joined his herd of domestic goats.

A Wildlife Department team reached the site and identified the animal as a rare Pir Panjal markhor, estimated to be eight to nine months old.

Over the next two days, officials patrolled the area in an attempt to locate its mother; however, due to the seasonal migration of markhor during this period, she could not be traced.

Given the calf’s young age and vulnerability, it was shifted to the Patikka Wildlife Park, about 18 kilometres northeast of Muzaffarabad along the main Neelum Valley road, for care and rehabilitation.

On Sunday, the markhor died unexpectedly, surprising wildlife officials who said it had recently recovered from a minor health issue and had resumed normal feeding.

According to the postmortem report issued by the Civil Veterinary Hospital (CVH), Kahori, the animal had suffered from diarrhoea on December 19.

After treatment, it showed significant improvement and remained stable until it was found dead.

The postmortem examination conducted on Monday found the carcass intact, with no signs of external injury.

Internal examination revealed the liver, lungs and pelvic organs to be normal; however, hyperaemic blood spots were observed on the heart, leading veterinary experts to conclude that sudden cardiac arrest was the probable cause of death.

Shaista Ali, a monitoring officer in the Wildlife Department, said there was no evidence of trauma or negligence and described the incident as a natural loss.

She added that the department had intensified monitoring of other animals housed at the Patikka facility as a precautionary measure, reiterating its commitment to the conservation of endangered species.

The markhor (Capra falconeri), Pakistan’s national animal, is listed as an endangered species and is protected under wildlife laws, with rescue and rehabilitation programmes considered vital for its conservation. 

Chaudhry Kamran Bashir, the Wildlife Department’s supervisor in Haveli district, told Dawn by telephone that markhor populations existed in both the Phaala and nearby Hillaa’n game reserves, adding that this was the first time a live markhor had been rescued from either reserve.

He further claimed that recent surveys had also confirmed the presence of markhor in the Hillaa’n Game Reserve.

He recalled that in July this year, a two-month-old grey goral (Naemorhedus goral) was discovered by a shepherd in the same Hillaa’n Game Reserve. The animal was taken into custody by wildlife officials and hand-reared for nearly six weeks at the residence of a local wildlife watcher, who bottle-fed it until it became strong enough to survive independently, after which it was transferred to the Patikka Wildlife Park, which also serves as a captive breeding centre. 

Ms Ali said the grey goral was doing well at the facility.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2025