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Interviews: Saving the Marco Polo Sheep

Some have called George Schaller the globe's greatest living naturalist. Now a field biologist and vice president for the Wildlife Conservation Society's science and exploration program, he's been working for some 20 years to create international, trans-border wildlife reserves to provide vital corridors for endangered and threatened animal species — particularly the Marco Polo sheep.

The species of sheep cling to existence in the mountainous regions along the borders of Pakistan, China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan — particularly an area called the Wakhan Corridor and the Pamir Mountains in far eastern Afghanistan, the meeting place of several of the greatest mountain ranges on Earth.

Alex Chadwick recently spoke with Schaller about the unique species of sheep he's working to protect, and the incredible natural beauty of one of the globe's most inaccessible regions:

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Alex Chadwick
For more than 30 years, Alex Chadwick has been bringing the world to NPR listeners as an NPR News producer, program host and currently senior correspondent. He's reported from every continent except Antarctica.