In the great Himalayan and Karakoram mountains
There lives a brave herbivore
He climbs the dangerous tree-lined cliffs
The beautiful, nimble Markhor

His name is a cross of two words
Mar: the snake, and Khor: the eater
Most People think he’s fierce and mean
But he’s really just a gentle bleater

He’s known for his great climbing skills
And is also a fabulous forager
He’ll search for grasses and for leaves
He’ll roam like an adventuring voyager

He looks like an interesting mix
Of both a boy and a girl I’ve heard
He wears a lovely russet coat 
And also has a cute little beard

He also has very big horns
Like five feet long corkscrews
Weapons to keep bullies away
And to dig up clumps of grass too

The Markhor is the national animal 
Of the South Asian country of Pakistan
He’s also very popular
In puppet shows in Afghanistan 

And there we leave this nimble capra*
As he walks with grace, his head held high
Master of all that he sees
Great big horns spiralling into the sky

* The markhor was one of the 72 animals featured on the World Wide Fund for Nature Conservation Coin Collection in 1976. 

* Markhor marionettes are used in the Afghan puppet shows known as buz-baz. 

* The markhor has also been mentioned in a Pakistani computer-animated film known as Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor.

* The Markhor is present on the logo of the Inter-Services Intelligence, the intelligence agency of Pakistan.

* CAPRA: a genus of mammals consisting of goats, the markhor and ibexes.