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
