A rare Himalayan ibex was recently spotted in a remote region, and it's great news for conservationists.
Images and video footage from the India-administered region of Kashmir have surfaced showing the Himalayan ibex (or Siberian ibex), a type of wild goat classified as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Daily Excelsior (@dailyexcelsior) shared the footage on Instagram.
The sighting, which was reported in the Gurez Valley of northern Kashmir, "points towards improving habitat conditions and relatively reduced human disturbance," Kashmir Life reported in December, citing officials familiar with the territory.
It's a win for local conservationists, and it's an example of how valuable cameras can be.
In remote, mountainous areas of Kashmir and the Himalayas, trail camera photos and video footage, confirmed by officials, allow researchers to easily track animal populations without disturbing the area or the species.
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Tens of thousands of animal species are currently considered threatened with extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature on the IUCN Red List. A key driver of extinction is habitat loss, often caused by human activities such as deforestation and urban sprawl of communities into formerly wild lands.
Restoring, preserving, and protecting natural habitats are some of the best ways to alleviate stress on a species. According to the news report, the ibex sighting is evidence that restoration efforts in the area are paying off. Still, there's more work to be done to ensure the species completely recovers.
Local experts "have called for strengthened protection measures to guard against threats such as poaching, unregulated grazing, and unplanned infrastructure expansion," according to Kashmir Life.
Conservationists across the globe are catching elusive creatures on camera. A trail camera in California recorded a Sierra Nevada red fox, of which there are fewer than 40 individuals in the wild, per estimates. Another camera in Thailand snapped photos of what has been reported as the only herd of wild water buffalo left in the country.
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Even a single photo of a threatened species captured by a trail camera can provide researchers with valuable information — and, best of all, hope.
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Definitely 👍 The video footage had commenters stunned.
"Magnificent," one Instagram user wrote.
"So rare, [I] didn't even know [they] existed," another said.
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