Suleiman Markhor (Pakistan)
Punjab Urial
(Ovis vignei punjabiensis)
Local Name: Hureal, oorial (Punjab)
Scientific Name: Ovis vignei punjabiensis
Local Area: Salt and Kala Chitta Mountain ranges, between the forest belt in the north, the Jhelum River in the east and south, and the Indus River in the west, in the province of Punjab in Pakistan
Life Span: 10 – 11 years
Height: 76.15 – 91.5 cm (30 – 36 inches)
Weight: 40 – 45 kg (88 – 99 pounds)
Trophy Size: 63.5 – 105.5 cm (25 – 41.5 inches)
Hunting Season: October to March
Description:
The Punjab Urial is an endemic subspecies to Pakistan. It can only be found in the Salt and Kala Chitta Mountain ranges of Punjab, at altitudes ranging from 980 to 1300 feet. A handsome sheep with a redder coat than other Urials. In the winter coat, males wear a white bib with a long black neck ruff. The horns are cervical, curving tightly in some animals and less so in others. The Punjab Urial’s horns are typically 24 to 30 inches long.
Although the Punjab urial lives on a different continent and is hunted under different conditions than Bighorn sheep, a famous phrase stands true. “The hunter will be led into the most gorgeous country he’s ever seen by an old ram. He’ll exhaust him, infect him with buck fever, and break his heart; yet, if the hunter is prone to sheep fever, he’ll never be satisfied hunting anything else.” Sustainable, regulated hunting has helped to recover Punjab urial numbers, and you can hunt it knowing that the money you spend killing one elderly ram will help to ensure the species’ survival.
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