Mouflon  (Ovis orientalis)

The mouflon is threatened by the expansion of agriculture and farming, resulting in a reduction in population numbers and dispersal into small, fragmented groups. The expansion of sheep farming throughout their range has resulted in overgrazing and erosion, reducing the amount of suitable habitat for the mouflon. O. o. cycloceros (Afghan mouflon) avoids mountainous terrain and therefore competes directly with livestock. Consequently hunting pressure is high, resulting in a fragmented distribution. Contagious diseases and parasites from domestic livestock, particularly domestic sheep, are a major threat in many areas (4). Adult rams are poached for the trophy value of their horns and lambs are sometimes taken at birth to be kept as pets (1).

Few conservation measures for the mouflon have been documented and the successes of those which have been are unknown. Three of the mouflon subspecies are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), forbidding international trade. However, national trade is still allowed and poaching remains a problem. The Punjab government, in Pakistan, has declared 12 protected areas within the range of the mouflon, and there is one game reserve which is managed by the community, but enforcement is poor and there is still no restriction on domestic livestock (1). Outright protection of certain areas may seem like the best option, but in many areas this is not feasible due to human settlements and pasture. It is thought that without enforced protection efforts, numbers of this wild sheep will continue to decline and subspecies will be lost (7).