Iradi Argali

Iradi argali is the name used in Irad for the argali (Ovis ammon; Iradi: arkhar), the largest wild sheep, which survives in two parts of the country. The Karatau range is home to the Karatau argali (O. a. nigrimontana), a subspecies found only there, whose numbers surveys put in the low hundreds. Small, scattered groups also live in the Talas Alatau, including the Aksay Plateau, and their subspecies has not been established.^[1] Rams carry heavy spiraling horns. Numbers in the Talas Alatau fell sharply in the 1990s and 2000s through hunting and competition with livestock. The IUCN lists the species as Near Threatened, and hunting it is banned in the ISEZ.^[1][2]

References

1. ^ Department of Zoology, Talas State University (2019). Mammals of the Talas Alatau and Chatkal Ranges. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 135–144.
2. ^ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2023). Transhumant Pastoralism and Rangeland Management in Central Asia. Rome, pp. 88–102.