Mouflon  (Ovis orientalis)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1) and a number of subspecies are listed on CITES (3). The taxonomy of the mouflon is very complex and there is no general consensus on how many separate species and subspecies there are. Many scientists recognise two separate species: the Urial (Ovis vignei) and the Mouflon (Ovis gmelini) together with a number of subspecies (4). However, at present the IUCN Red List recognises the mouflon as one species (1). The unresolved taxonomy is a problem for conservation as specimens are often hard to identify, and hybrids exist naturally (4).