Staff at the Sunt-Hasardag State Nature Reserve nursed back to health an injured arkhar lamb – a rare mountain sheep listed in Turkmenistan’s Red Book. This was reported by the country’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

According to the agency, in April 2024, an arkhar lamb with a leg injury was transferred from the Environmental Protection Department of Balkan velayat to the Biodiversity Breeding Center of the reserve. The animal underwent a two-month course of treatment, after which it spent more than three months under a special care regime. During this period, the lamb was fed milk, fresh alfalfa and a balanced diet.

The Ministry noted that the animal has fully recovered and adapted to human presence. In the near future, the lamb is set to be presented to the general public as part of events in the Magtymguly etrap.

The arkhar is listed in the Red Book of Turkmenistan and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as well as on the CITES list. Three subspecies inhabit the country — the Bukhara, Turkmen and Ustyurt argali — all of which are under state protection in five nature reserves.

The Biodiversity Breeding Centre at the Sunt-Hasardag Nature Reserve houses seven arkhar, which produce offspring every year. To monitor the population, specialists use camera traps, which allow them to track the animals’ behaviour during the rutting and breeding seasons.