For Tajiks 2015 is the year of sheep. This is particularly important for us at Paramount Journey because the most famous medieval visitor to Tajikistan was Marco Polo, and he saw and gave his name to our beautiful but endangered Marco Polo.
The Marco Polo sheep is one of the most important symbols of Tajikistan, and they are distinguished by their large size and spiralling horns. Sadly, these beautiful horns have made them valuable trophies for hunters: they pay up to $20,000 to slaughter a sheep.
Numerous international organisations and wildlife conservation groups protest about the killing of elephants, rhinos and gorillas in Africa, but almost no attention is given to protect the dwindling numbers of Marco Polo sheep.
We believe that by educating the younger generation in Tajikistan, and by raising awareness amongst local people, we raise awareness about the negative impact of hunting of Marco Polo sheep, and why conservation efforts are important. We want to deter trophy hunts (which threaten the survival of our incredibly endangered snow leopards as well as the Marco Polo sheep) and so have made a commitment to donate a part of our profits to conservation education in Tajikistan.
Join us to support Marco Polo sheep before it becomes too late.
