Chitral Gol National Park

Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan and into the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains lies one of the country’s most spectacular regions Kshatriya’s peaks are so high and remote that its summits seem to touch the heavens isolated in its deep valleys are colorful independent tribes such as the Kailash people with unique festivals and traditions the chat rallies are proud and hospitable people with an abiding passion for polo most villages have a team matches are contested on the highest.

Polo Grounds in the world many ancient ways of life are preserved here but also protected among these towering peaks is one of Pakistan’s hidden gems Chitral gold national park’s renowned for its dramatic landscapes treacherously steep cliffs and for one extraordinary animal, in particular, the mark or the cliff walkers of Chitral goalShatrughan is one of Pakistan’s least-known national parks it’s tucked away in the.

Hindu Kush mountains are one of the most inaccessible parts of the country and close to 8,000 hectares it’s not the largest of parks but what it lacks in the area it makes up for in dramatic scale there is a nearly three-kilometer drop between the highest peaks and the valley floor the winters are long and cold and the summers are hot and dry but in spite of the challenging climate and rugged landscape animals and plants cling on in many extraordinary and resilient ways on the upper slopes there is so little soil that the ODA trees spread their roots over the resistant Rock anchored like.

This Durga D’ass can reach 25meters in height but it takes them centuries slowly but steadily son live for a thousand years or more the stately do-dah is Pakistan’snational tree in fact Chitral goal National Park pk Pakistan is a sanctuary to four of the country’s national treasures including the national bird the Joker Orrock Partridge the national plant jasmine and most iconic of all the marker the unsung heroes of the park are the invertebrates the workers who recycle life’s basics and help create the little bit of mountain soil on which all other plants and animals depend from the top of the valleys to the bottom late summer is the time for life to flourish a great variety of plants have found ways towards themselves.

Against the cold winters and to take advantage of the warm summers when they set seed there’s an abundance of ripening fruition which Chitral goals many species of bird will flatten up Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan breathtaking landscape makes big demands animals have to make the most of any break they can get the steep-sided valleys to create powerful up currents of hot air called thermals heavy birds such as llama Gaia vultures take advantage of this rising air to gain height more easily up here they have a better chance of spotting their next meal even the mighty.

Golden Eagle is pushed to extremes like all large animals it must cover huge distances to find enough to at secretive rarely seen wild cats such as Lynx mother with her two cubs might have to travel tens of kilometers to feed the family wolves are marathon travelers too they patrol and scent mark along the boundary of their home range to keep rival wolfpack’s out sheer cliffs are off-limits to most predators which are why sure-footed mark or use them as safe havens but even they make mistakes if a marker FaChitral Gol National Park Pakistanlls to its death it’s an easy meal one overlooks the vulture isn’t always the first to arrive but it easily bullies.

The Ravens to one side a shift in the weather heralds the end of Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan harsh summer it’s when the park most celebrated resident the marker face their greatest challenges from Chitral goals highest peaks autumn chill descends through the valleys it’s the signal for Marco to move downslope in readiness for the bitter winter ahead Marco are one of the largest wild goats in the world males can weigh over 100kilos and their impressive corkscrew horns are often over a meter long females are much smaller but this can be an advantage when the Markel move into the stands of Holly oak which provide them with a staple diet of acorns and leaves.

At this time of year the lightlybuilt females can climb right into thetrees to reach the younger moresucculent leaves growing on the tips ofthe branches their split toes and thesensitive leathery soles on their feetgive them excellent grip the very samebalance and agility that allows them toleap so effortlessly across sheer rockwalls the males are powerfully built andtheir balance is extraordinary – butthey’re simply too heavy to climb thetree instead they thrash their heavyhorns to try to dislodge the leaves andacorns once the food has fallen sizeTrump’s agilityyousince leaving the high-altitude summerpasturesthey’ll have been spending eight totwelve hours each day looking forsomething to eat among the rockycrevices and gullies females togetherwith this year’s young huddle into smallherds as much for safety as anythingelse there’s always danger aboutthe older animals know their way aroundthe landscape the youngsters need tolearn not just escape routes but whereto find an essential ingredient that’smissing from their normal diet it’s onthe other side of this mountain streamfast-flowing meltwater has cut throughthe rock exposing banks of mineral saltsthe mark on need to look at the rocksalt to make sure they get thesupplements they need it’s vital theystay healthy for the difficult monthsaheadin.

The first two weeks of December Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan the male Marco face their toughest time of the year the males mostly live alone but now they seek each other out you tentatively nervously they will be sizing each other up after days working out who has the best chance of mating with the nearest females battle commences it’s not just their size and power that counts the terrain and their choice of standpoint can be make-or-break the stakes are so high the tension and clashes continue well past sundown a clear winner will mate with up to 30females the loser faces an uncertain future with snow already dusting the higher slopes life’s about to get even harder winter is a punishing time of year meters of smoke and blanket Chitra girl the macaw remains at lower elevations still reliant on the Hollyoaks to keep hunger at bay but.

They’ll have to walk long distances across the icy rock to find new sources of food they regularly need to leave the park and feed in the adjoining valleys and this is when wildlife and the people living around the boundary of shit rogue all national park together feel the pinch-hit on people are very resilient but when heavy snowfall blocks the mountain passes they’re more or less cut off from the outside world because it’s so cold fuel is in short supply families rely on what they find around them for basic needs like worker Mohammed especially in winter we rely on wood for cooking and staying warm many trees around the park have already been felled but the only trees left here are in the national park and if they were to be cut down to the forests.

Have become bare andthe animals would leave it’s not justwood cutting that affects the markerit’s hungry livestock too especiallywhen nomadic herdersgooge’s bring their herds into the area decades ago there was enough food for everyone now it’s a different story as the winter wears on the grazing wearsout towards the end of winter the Goodyears even enter the National Park to come bow of evergreen Holly oak asfodder for their animals keeping their animals alive is exhausting work has him 60 goats need a huge amount offood a day they’re his family’s entire livelihood but he knows the area issuffering too these are the sameHollyoaks that mark or another wildlife depend on we’ve been coming here for 30yearsjust like over just an active or helical would be impossible to survive hereafter a year or two we are bound here at the moment okay I have a prodigalratnick have any much we run hairspraygive us any key no but that’s what you have the forest is near to its end and after that we will need to go beyondthis place the nomadic google’s will move away but local herders have no otheroption.

But to stay here their problems are mounting and they need longer-term solutions overgrazing around the national park has had other knock-on effects to reduce the amount of food for Marco and herders mostly blame snow leopards for picking off domestic animals instead predators have even stalked right into villages to attack herds gathered in stone Corral’s traditionally villagers have protected their animals in open enclosures the old Corral had low walls which meant that wild animals attacked our livestock and we suffered huge losses the snow leopard foundation keen to improve the prospects of both snow leopards and herders have stepped in to help firstly they’ve helped fun new Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan.

Corral’s tall sturdy stone walls prevent predators from getting in and the netted roof allows good ventilation for the animals helping them to stay healthy they fatten up much better in here iPhone or two Corral’s are built in each community people would be very happy and this livestock would stay safe the loss of any animal is a blow but a recent survey conducted by the snow leopard foundation has revealed that relatively few livestock are killed by wild predators the results of that survey shows that a number of animals that died from diseases it’s very high compared to those that are killed by wolves or SnowLeopardit suggests that well over 60% of livestock deaths result from ill health and malnourishment to address this problem.

Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan herders how to keep their animals vaccinated against the disease in olden times people did not get their animals vaccinated today they have it done a lot of herders are already reaping the rewards of fitter healthier animals there has been a big increase in the amount of milk that owners are getting from these animals the animals become healthy their milk production increases and their meat gets better, as a result, people are benefitting economically through raising awareness and with relatively simple measures the day to day life of local herders has improved now the mortality rate in herds has decreased a lot now diseases outspread and our herds are safe from wild animal appear but there’s a wider benefit if more animals survive under healthy the shepherds can make a better living with fewer animals smaller herds mean less overgrazing and that improves the future for wildlife.

In the area to land that was previously exhausted can be rested and trees and shrubs allowed to grow back the well-being of the NationalPark is clearly tied to that of the people who live around its borders for some locals the mutual benefits are already very clear I am proud of the fact that I hail from a village next to this national park I am a part of this national Parkesra feels the direct benefits of living next to this national asset because since 2004he’s worked within it as one of the community watchers who helped protect young boys I wake up early every morning and patrol the entire area to protect we ensure that nobody comes from outside to cut the wood to destroy or take away the medicinal plants or harm the wildlife such as the mark or I’m gonna stand up on Jerry so job Sameer but ever since.

I’ve become a part of the WildlifeDepartment my life has completely changed the monthly salary I receive is quite enough for me to support my children and myself properly but there are many other ways in which local people can engage with and benefit from conservation in the Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan town market traders are doing brisk business selling tree saplings which they’ve grown some customers buy trees to make their gardens beautiful but it’s also important to replant hillsides that have been logged or / grazed as Akbar Aliwell nurse I thought the heritage that has been lost it is our duty to replenish it if we are going to clear it away unchecked then there would be floods and other natural disasters that’s.

Tokyo tiger landslides and floods have increased in recent years planting trees helps to bind the soil and controls the runoff of heavy rain if less topsoil ends up in the rivers the yield from crops improves tools well as easing the pressure on the landscape replanting the hillsides offers ways to make money as these trees mature they will provide wood for fuel and fencing a variety of high-value orchards fruits and even fodder for livestock some local plants have medicinal properties Artemisia for instance can be used as an antiseptic remedy and growing them could provide an extra income stream another source of revenue is the hunting of large male Marco but only in some areas outside the national park trophy animals older animals with impressive horns are raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in hunting fees but these operations must be carefully organized and overseen that the financial benefits are spread fairly throughout the area for that to happen general awareness needs to be raised to understand how to keep the mark or population healthy and how caring for the surrounding area helps everyone.

I got a lot of people gain awareness they will automatically protect it because it will be embedded in their minds that this is for their benefit Akbar Ali believes the best people to protect the park and its surrounding area are the locals themselves the young generation will do this who else no outsider would come and protect it we have to be here live here die here that’s, therefore, it is our obligation to protect it the chief conservator of the province Safdar Alicia knows that young people are vital to the future care of such a large remote area we run an education and awareness program at schools.

Where we give lectures to ninth-grade students and give them the message that since you will be the policymakers of tomorrow politicians of tomorrow this country’s decision-making will be in your hands so this is a message to our youth the day strengthen our grip they should become our eyes ears and feet their lives could be enriched from the long term protection of Chitral Gol we have to transfer it to our future generations just the way it is so that they will be happy seeing it as itis what else could be of greater happiness to us it’s essential that local communities engage their hearts and minds with this challenge because the day-to-day protection of such vast rugged terrains a daunting job.

Every day and in all weathers just a small handful of staff walk miles and miles patrolling the park boundaries to make sure animals and plants are kept safe these wardens and Watchers need more resources and equipment especially better ways for the staff to stay in contact with each other mobile phone signals might not reach such deep ravines and if problems arise the guards need to mobilize quickly and effectively the job can be dangerous on top of this and even though the wildlife Department has limited funds they need to monitor numbers of marker and other animals that live in the park together with local wardens and Watchersthey climbed to special vantage points from where they can see far and wide I’mSalvado.

Davao twice a year we conduct surveys of all the wildlife that includes birds predators and other animals there is also the lambing survey we conduct in July focusing on mark her alone to find out how many new forms have been born these surveys are helping to build up a more accurate picture of what lives in the park against all the odds and thanks to the help of community watchers like his run the markerpopulation has risen from just over 600in 2005 to nearly 1400 in 2015 we have the community watches on board with us, therefore, our manpower has increased protection has improved and so the population has increased in tetryl goal population we worry with wildlife numbers on the up the park could become a great draw for tourists when we come from the cities we are coming to feel something different.

Weare coming to breathe fresh air didn’t know much about the natural park but now I’m here and I see these trees the mountains I’m so inspired by the whole view it’s a beautiful coming here is like standing in our heavens it gives you a serenity like you can feel like you are out of the world because Chitral is so remote it’s been very hard to get to traffic and supplies need to be brought over mountain passes on weather-beaten roads but big changes on the way a much-needed tunnel is under construction cutting through the mountain which will improve access and boost visitor numbers if they get there the water damage as the LaLaurie tunnel gets down to the finishing stages countless tourists would come then because the environment here is pleasant people receptive tourists are already arriving to take advantage of Chitral goals stunning scenery and bringing much-needed revenue into the region.

But unregulated it could cause new problems too of mindlessly cutting wood for campfires and much more rubbish we have come to visit this beautiful place the environment is clean here however it makes me sad that people like us come here and leave behind all this rubbish this is sad they should not do this whereas I’m a-gonna did all visitants have a responsibility to clean up after themselves we are in the process of developing a code of conduct for the tourists before entering the national park people should know about the basics of the parkour prohibitions and the do’s and donuts but at least there are good foundations to build on it is a reflection of our success that the areas.

Where there were only footprints of these animals but none were seen a substantial number of these are found in those areas these days obviously I feel proud and I feel the people of Chitra should feel proud of that wildlife is an indicator of the health of an ecosystemshatral goal is an amazing success story and, therefore, a positive sign with limited resources and in challenging terrain staff have done wonders improving wildlife numbers within the park good lessons have been learned especially the positive involvement of local people valuable experience which can be shared elsewhere the next generation are well-placed to carry on the good work if they learn how special they are and how their lives will be enhanced through the care of their surroundings then both they and the extraordinary cliff walkers of Chitral goal can flourish well into the future

Chitral Gol National Park is situated in the beautiful valley of Chitral. Chitral Gol is a narrow valley, its gorge running for some 18km before broadening out into a basin surrounded by high peaks. Numerous tributaries drain into the Chitral Gol, which flows southwards into the Kunar River. Visitors and Visitor Facilities Include two hunting lodges, originally built by the Mehtars.

Wildlife Chitral Gol National Park Pakistan:

This park is famous for its Markhor goats, estimated 100-125 in 1970, and 225 in 1975. A more recent estimate indicates a population size of 650. Other ungulates, such as Siberian ibex and Ladakh urial (Shape), occur in very small numbers, as do black bears. The status of snow leopard changed from tenuous security in 1970 to seriously threatened by 1974. The species does not appear to be residents, visiting the park occasionally. Wolves are seen less frequently following restrictions on grazing by livestock.

Mammals:

Mammals in the park include Snow leopard, Kashmir Markhor, Siberian ibex, Ladakh urial, Black bear, Tibetan Wolf, Red fox, Yellow-throated martin, and Himalayan otter.

Birds:

A common bird in the park is Lammergeier vulture, Himalayan Griffon vulture, Golden eagle, Demosille crane (Passage migrant), Peregrine falcon, Himalayan snowcock, Himalayan monal, Snow Partridge, and rock Partridge.