Wolf killed Marco Polo sheep, Gorno-Badaksha, Tajikistan

---

The grinning skull and horns of a Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii) killed by wolves lies in the snow in the eastern Pamir Mountains (in the Murghab hunting concession), Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Region, Tajikistan. The Marco Polo sheep, a threatened species of argali inhabit the uplands and alpine valleys of the Pamirs, a territory that spans four countries. Wolves are their main natural predator of Marco Polo sheep, but poaching by local hunters and military is a much greater threat to their survival. Marco Polo sheep are the largest and most magnificent of all wild sheep and are also a sought after trophy for big game hunters, who pay up to $40,000 to shoot a trophy size ram. The Murghab Hunting concession has perhaps the largest concentration of Marco Polo sheep in Tajikistan

---

Size: 4837px × 3251px
Location: Murghab,Gorno Badakshan,Tajikistan
Photo credit: © Beth Wald / Aurora Photos / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: adventure, asia, bones, carcas, central, color, dead, endagered, gorno-, gorno-badakshan, horizontal, hunting, image, journalismcollection, marco, murghab, nature, outdoors, pamir, polo, predator, prey, sheep, skull, snow, species, tajikistan, wildlife, winter, wolf