WILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN
The wildlife of Pakistan comprises diverse flora and fauna in a wide range of habitats from sea level to high elevation areas in the mountains, including 177 mammal and 660 bird species. This diverse composition of the country’s fauna is associated with its location in the transitional zone between two major zoogeographical regions, the Pale arctic, and the Oriental
Asiatic Black Bear
The Asiatic black bear occupies a narrow band from southeastern Iran through Afghanistan and Pakistan, across the foothills of the Himalayas, to Myanmar. It occupies all countries in mainland Southeast Asia except Malaysia and has a patchy distribution in southern China. Another population cluster exists in northeastern China, the southern Russian Far East, and North Korea. A small remnant population exists in South Korea. They also live on the southern islands of Japan (Honshu and Shikoku) and on Taiwan (China) and Hainan. There are no accurate estimates of population size available.
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard’s powerful build allows it to scale great steep slopes with ease. Its hind legs give the snow leopard the ability to leap six times the length of its body. A long tail provides balance and agility and also wraps around the resting snow leopard as protection from the cold.
For millennia, this magnificent cat was the king of the mountains. The mountains were rich with their prey such as blue sheep, Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots, pikas and hares. Snow leopards are found in 12 countries—including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and Mongolia—but their population is dropping.
Himalayan Brown Bear
The Himalayan brown bear is also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-Teh is a subspecies of the brown bear and is known from northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, west China, and Nepal. It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to 2.2 m (7 ft) long while females are a little smaller. These bears are omnivorous and hibernate in a den during the winter. Although present in a number of protected areas, they are becoming increasingly rare because of loss of suitable habitat and hunting by humans, and have become “critically endangered.” This bear (as the Dzu-Teh) is thought by some to be the source of the legend of the Yeti.
Markhor
Markhor is a wild goat and one of the most beautiful wild animals inhabiting the mountainous regions of Pakistan. The animal prefers living on dangerous and steep cliffs of the mountains to protect themselves from the attacks of wild predators including snow leopard and wolf. Also, these high cliffs provide safe refuge for the hunters, who wish to get at least one pride trophy of markhor in their hunting life. The male markhor is more beautiful while having long twisted horns. These animals have a strong role in the food web of the mountain’s ecosystem and their presence ensures to keep it in shape both for nature and humans.
Fishing Cat
their most common stomping ground, with marshes, swamps, and mangroves also high on the list of suitable habitat. They are sometimes found in tropical dry forests and have even been seen in the Indian Himalayas, at elevations of 4,900 feet (1,500 meters) in dense vegetation near rivers and streams. Little is known about fishing cats in the wild, but it is thought that they have no natural predators, other than humans.