PESHAWAR: Three foreign hunters, hailing from America, Canada and Mexico, successfully hunted Kashmiri Markhors, a wild goat with long spiral horns, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Trophy Hunting scheme. “All the three Markhors have been hunted in different wildlife conservancies in Chitral district of the province,” informed Chitral district Sub-divisional Forest Officer (SDFO) Iltaf Ali Shah.
The first animal was hunted down by a Canadian hunter in Ghairat Golain Conservancy in December month of the year 2017, Iltaf informed.
He said the second and third Markhors were hunted in Toshi Shah Shah game reserves.
“The permit for sale of Ghairat Golain conservancy had been auctioned at US dollar 76,000. While the two permits for hunting of wild goat in Toshi Shah Shah game reserves were sold at dollar 85,000 and dollar 85,200,” said Safdar Ali Shah, Chief Conservator Wildlife department KP.
The SDFO said KP Wildlife department was authorized to sell four permits for hunting of Markhor under the Trophy Hunting Scheme.
“The fourth permit is also sold to a foreign hunter for hunting in Kohistan district of KP,” he added.
The fourth hunter has not hunted the animal and is expected to succeed in the current month of March, he continued.
The total amount collected through the selling of four permits is around $3,16200 out of which 80 percent would be distributed amount communities engage in protection and conservation of wild goat in their respective area.
Some experts say that Trophy Hunting scheme, involving foreign hunters in the hunting of wild goat in the remote hilly terrain of KP is proving to be the best conservation tool in saving the population of Markhor.
“Once critically endangered wild species, Pakistan now has the largest population of Markhor in the region,” said Wildlife Extension Peshawar Deputy Forest Officer Niaz Ahmad.
The success of Trophy hunting would be gauged from the fact that the decade-long wave of militancy in KP failed to hamper successful conservation efforts and foreign hunter continued to visit the province for hunting.
However, now according to a survey conducted by Wildlife department in 2014, the number of animals reached to 3566 only in Chitral district.
The highest bid so far achieved for hunting of a Markhor is $100,500. Whereas the total amount of revenue generated through the programme is $3.306 million dollar of which communities involved in the conservation of animal received a share of $2.645 million. About 20 per cent of the amount goes to the federal government.
Are these spiral horns in picture?
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