Endangered Bukhara urial arrive in Ranua

New residents have arrived at our wildlife park as part of international conservation efforts. The one-year-old Bukhara urial siblings Qerttu and Quisma arrived from Korkeasaari Zoo in mid December and are already settling into their new, wintry home.

In the wild, Bukhara urials inhabit mountainous regions of Central Asia. The Bukhara urial is divided into several subspecies, and the subspecies kept at Korkeasaari Zoo and now also at our park has the northeasternmost distribution and is particularly well adapted to mountainous conditions. It is classified as vulnerable and is considered the most endangered wild sheep. The population has declined due to poaching, competition with domestic livestock, as well as droughts and harsh winters.

Bukhara urials are protected through hunting restrictions, education and conservation work with local communities, as well as through cooperation between zoos. In 2021, the species was included in the EEP conservation programme managed by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), which aims to establish a viable zoo population to help secure the future of the species.