Great Tibetan Sheep (Ovis ammon hodgsoni), known as Nayan in Nepali belongs to family Bovidae of order Artiodactyla. Globally the species is native to China, India and Nepal. In Nepal, it occurs in the high mountains of Nepal within the protected area of the Annapurna Conservation Area, towards the north of Mustang and Manang district, bordering Tibet. The Population of Argali in Nepal is unknown. However, it is likely to be small, as a total of only 77 Argali were reported in 2005. The sharp decline in the number has been caused by habitat loss due to competition with domestic livestock and human encroachment. It is listed as Near Threatened in IUCN Red List. Whilst, nationally it is categorized as Data Deficient. The legal status of this species in Nepal is Protected (Appendix I) under the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 and Appendix I in CITES Law.
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