The Skyin breathe this mountain air. Their muscles ripple under thick, short coats of shaggy hair. Light brown overall, the males are white on their bellies and backs, with striking black and white patterns above the hoof and dark black tails.
They are also called Himalayan Ibex, Capra sibirica.
Their faces do look like goats when they turn to look at us, eyes set wide and ringed by white, a white band around their black noses, tufted beards, and great curved horns that grow a new notched length each year.
One of the young ones I saw yesterday was frosty light brown, almost white. That one’s older companion was a young male, looking more evenly brown like the adult females, with short horns and just hints of the white and black male patterns. They come close to the village this time of year, when the lower areas give birth to green leaves before the cliffs and mountainsides. So our friend Kathi, after a visit with us, got to walk down to the village alongside a family across the stream. And as Kathi finally looked ahead, another big group of skyin were filling the gorge ahead, drinking from the stream.
They move along slowly on the slopes these days, never startling unless there’s real danger, and they’ve been letting us get very close to them this spring. I’ve also seen them run and leap up near-vertical cliffs with incredibly sure feet.
This winter we noticed the snow leopard’s tracks following where they recently passed, and the fox tracks following the snow leopard, hoping for scraps.
Pingback: Ibex herd – Living in Ladakh
Pingback: Snow Leopard Kill – Living in Ladakh
Pingback: Skyin in the Orchard – Living in Ladakh