International News

Bozeman, Montana — The Wild Sheep Foundation and the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation are now accepting nominations for the biennial Markhor Award. Submission deadline is August 14, 2026.

Vienna, Austria – The Wild Sheep Foundation announced Saturday at the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) General Assembly that it has committed €200,000 ($233,127 USD) to the organization’s Club 200 initiative, a program designed to strengthen international advocacy for sustainable use conservation.

The Wild Sheep Foundation has named Aibat Muzbay of Kazakhstan as Central Asia Specialist for its International Programs. He will lead regional wild sheep and goat conservation efforts under Kurt Alt, WSF’s International Program Conservation Director. In this role, Muzbay will support argali restoration in Kazakhstan and strengthen regional conservation frameworks and sustainable-use programs across Central Asia.

Each year at the Sheep Show, hunters, outfitters, conservation leaders, and wildlife officials gather not only to celebrate wild sheep, but also to address the practical realities of how international conservation and lawful hunting intersect.

Each year at the Wild Sheep Foundation’s (WSF) Sheep Show, the spotlight shines on the wild sheep themselves, on the mountains they inhabit, and on the conservation successes that keep them there. But behind the scenes, two of the most important gatherings take place in a quieter setting: the Wildlife Professionals Meeting and the WAFWA Wild Sheep Initiative Meeting.
 

The Saiga in Kazakhstan has rebounded from dangerously low numbers and has been recognized as a success by the international body governing threatened and endangered wildlife. CITES has declared that Saiga are now eligible for sustainable use programs in the Republic of Kazakhstan.  This is a dramatic success and a powerful opportunity to continue Saiga conservation.