Over a hundred yaks perished due to a baffling disease that ravaged the high-altitude pasturelands of Shimshal Pamir, local residents reported on Wednesday, as authorities confirmed the incident and dispatched emergency veterinary aid.
Shimshal, positioned at 3,100 metres above sea level, remained the highest human settlement in Pakistan’s northern Hunza region and marked the final village before the nation’s frontier with China.
From the Shimshal Nature Trust (SNT), a local community organisation, General Secretary Azam Khan stated, “A disease broke out in the pasture of Shimshal and so far more than 100 yaks were killed.”
He disclosed further losses, saying, “Many yaks are ill. We farmers are facing huge economic losses. My two young yaks, worth Rs400,000 [$1,423], were also killed due to this disease.”
Khan described the socio-economic reliance of the village, adding, “Shimshal valley is home to more than 1,600 people. We rely on tourism and livestock farming to make ends meet. Yak raising is a favourite and profitable hobby for our villagers.” He appealed to the authorities for urgent intervention to save the remaining animals.
Another affected resident, farmer Naimat Karim, revealed, “Agriculture and livestock farming are our profession. Out of five yaks, I have lost three … This is a financial setback.”
Deputy Commissioner for Hunza District, Khuzaima Anwar, verified the development and confirmed that a veterinary team had been sent to the region. “Our team is on its way to the Shimshal pasture,” he stated. “They will diagnose the disease and treat the animals. Once the medical team returns, we will be in a better position to explain the situation.”
From the Gilgit-Baltistan Livestock and Dairy Development Department, Deputy Director Dr Shehzad Arif informed the media that the medical response team had been mobilised after the initial alert. “We received information from the local community on May 5 about the death of yaks in the high-altitude pasture,” he said. “So we formed a team and dispatched them with essential medicines to the area the next day.”
Dr Arif reported initial figures: “As far as our information goes, 108 yaks have died in the valley while 80 are ill.” He refrained from offering any speculation regarding the disease, asserting that clarity would follow the medical team’s return.
Public School Skardu’s Zoology Department Head, Shakoor Ali, underlined the economic and cultural importance of yaks in the region. “Yak is the backbone of the economy for the people living in the Karakorum-Himalaya mountain ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said.
“Yak is rightly known as the coconut of animals, as it provides food in the form of milk and meat, clothing from its hides and wool, and shelter from the tents made out of its hair. Almost all parts of the yak’s body have cultural, economic, medicinal, and religious value,” Ali stated, emphasising the severe livelihood implications for Shimshal herders.
