Turkmenian Markhor Twins Arrive At Wildlife Park

RZSS Highland Wildlife Park is having a baby boom with the arrival of new-borns almost every week since spring started. The latest arrivals are a pair of Critically Endangered Turkmenian markhor twins, which were born on 18 June.

The new markhor twins join two older male kids born at in May, bringing the total number of markhors at the Park to 15. The twins were born to mother Nettle and are doing well. The youngsters have yet to be named, but they are a male and a female. RZSS Highland Wildlife Park is the only location in the UK to hold this species.

Douglas Richardson, Head of Animal Collections at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park said:

“The most important role for any modern zoological institution is to act as a safety net for highly threatened species by managing them in captivity as a buffer against possible extinction in the wild. Unfortunately, much of the attention and funding is given to high-profile species such as the tiger and rhino, and it does mean that other lesser known animals, such as the markhor, sometimes don’t receive the attention or resources they deserve. This is why we believe it is vital to breed this highly threatened species and why we are delighted at the arrival of the new kids.”

Turkmenian markhors are a species of wild goat found in the mountains of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Markhors are one of the most striking goats because of their long spiral horns and impressive beards. In adult males, the horns can reach up to 160cm in length, whilst in females up to 25cm.

Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, these animals face extinction as they are hunted for their prized horns for trophies and for the Asian Medicine market. The origin of the colloquial name markhor is believed to be derived from the Persian words mar, meaning ‘snake’, and khor meaning ‘eater’, which stems from the folklore belief that the markhor has the ability to kill snakes and eat them.

Photo Credit: Alex Riddell.