Chitral Gol National Park
| Chitral Gol National Park چترال گول نیشنل پارک | |
|---|---|
 The park features several alpine meadows | |
  Location within Pakistan | |
| Location | Lower Chitral District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa |
| Coordinates | 35°56′N 71°40′E / 35.933°N 71.667°E |
| Area | 7,750 ha (19,200 acres) |
| Established | 1984 |
| Governing body | Wildlife and Parks Department of Government of Pakistan |
Chitral Gol National Park (Urdu: چترال گول نیشنل پارک) is one of the national parks of Pakistan. It is located in Lower Chitral District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan beside the Chitral River, at a distance of two hours drive from Chitral town. The park is also known as Chitral National Park.[1][2]
Geography
The way leading to the park is quite narrow and dangerous, yet more risky during the rainy days. It is located between 1450 metre and about 5000 metre above sea level. It has an area of 7750 hectares.[3]
Fauna
This park includes three valleys. Several glaciers also lie in the park through which several springs make their way and ultimately form a stream which runs 18 kilometres. The cold water of this stream flows towards the east, into the River Chitral. The park is rich in trees particularly cedar trees. The park also serves to provide shelter to a vast bio-diversity, especially markhor, an endangered wild goat species. Some of the larger mammals found in the park include Kashmir markhor, Siberian ibex, snow leopard, Ladakh urial, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan wolf, Red fox, Eurasian otter and Yellow-throated marten.[4][5]
Chitral Gol National Park is home to largest population of markhors in the world, with an estimated number of 2,278 in 2021.[6] Due to abundant availablity of prey in and around the park, snow leopards have also been increasingly seen in the park.[7]
Weather
The annual rainfall in its region is estimated to be 462 ml (16.3 imp fl oz; 15.6 US fl oz). In September, it rains more on the spectacular peaks surrounding the park. However, in November, the rainfall is more in the valleys and on the lower peaks. There is also snowfall during the winter season. The snow-covered white peaks enhance the beauty till June. The general weather is cold and dry. The temperature ranges from −12.2 to 43.3 °C (10.0 to 109.9 °F).[8][9]
Birmoghlasht
The Birmoghlasht part of the park is where the former Mehtar's Summer Fort is located. At the time of existence of the Chitral kingdom, the Mehtar and his family use to move here in the summer and hold court. The fort was constructed in such a way that it overlooked the entire city.[10] It stands at an elevation of over 2800 meters above sea level. Besides the fort Birmoghlasht also houses a wildlife hut and is a great tourist spot in a few kilometres drive from Chitral town.[11][12]
Legal status
Until 1983, Chitral Gol was considered to a private property of the former Mehtar of Chitral. The status of the park has been since in dispute and is in the issue of ongoing litigation between heirs of the former Mehtar and the Government of Pakistan.[13][14]
Notes
- ↑ Camerapix (1998-01-01). Spectrum Guide to Pakistan. Interlink Books. p. 319. ISBN 978-1-56656-240-9.
- ↑ Singh, Sarina (2008-01-01). Pakistan & the Karakoram Highway. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-542-0.
- ↑ "Chitral Gol National Park – Documentary". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20.
- ↑ Michel, S. & Rosen Michel, T. (2016) [errata version of 2015 assessment]. "Capra falconeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T3787A97218336. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T3787A82028427.en. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ↑ "Chitral Gol National Park". Wildlife of Pakistan. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ↑ Amtyaz Safi; Muhammad Usman Ali Hashmi; Shafi Ur Rehman; Zubair Ahmed; Sajjad Ali; Hans-Volker Karl (2024). "Current population status, threats, and conservation of Kashmir Markhor, in Chitral Gol National Park, Pakistan". Sustainability and Biodiversity Conservation. 3 (1): 1–17. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.10946280. ISSN 2821-2207.
- ↑ Zahiruddin (11 May 2026). "Iconic snow leopard makes a comeback in rugged terrain of Chitral". Dawn. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ Hyder, Donald N. (1978-01-01). Proceedings of the First International Rangeland Congress, Denver, Colorado, USA, August 14–18, 1978. Society for Range Management.
- ↑ Green, Michael John Beverley (1990-01-01). IUCN Directory of South Asian Protected Areas. IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-0030-4.
- ↑ "Chitral Gol National Park". The Express Tribune. 2013-12-24.
- ↑ Pakistan Pictorial. Pakistan Publications. 2008-07-01.
- ↑ Pakistan Quarterly. 1954-01-01.
- ↑ "Chitral National Park". National Parks in Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2018-11-09. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- ↑ "Wildlife of Pakistan: National Parks of Pakistan".
External links
