US hunter paid $1 lakh Permit Fees in advance to kill Pakistan’s National Animal 'Markhor'

February 06, 2019:

A US hunter paid a whopping 110,000 USD fees in advance to kill a flared-horned markhor, a rare wildlife species in Pakistan, during a trophy hunting season in the country’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Markhor, Pakistan’s national animal, is a distinctive species of wild goat identified by its long hair and spiralled horns. It is a protected species in Pakistan unless permitted by the government to kill it under trophy hunting programmes.

The hunter, Bryan Kinsel Harlan, hunted the markhor from Sassi-Harmosh community conservation area after paying the said fee to acquire the hunting permit, Dawn quoted the Gilgit-Baltistan wildlife department as saying. This is the highest permit fee ever offered in the country.

“It was an easy and close shot and I am pleased to take this trophy,” Dawn quoted the US hunter as saying. The foreign hunter managed to hunt a 41-inch markhor trophy, which is considered a good-sized trophy.

In the 2018-19 trophy hunting season, about 50 wildlife animals have been hunted by foreign and national hunters. In January, two US nationals had hunted the highest-rated Astore Markhor over 100,000 USD.

Authorities hand over 80% of the permit money to the respective local communities, while the remaining goes to the government exchequer. The local people now work to protect the animal instead of killing, leading to a drastic decrease in its numbers.

Markhor is listed as a near threatened species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. It has a worldwide population of 5,754 and is found in Afghanistan, India (Jammu-Kashmir), Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

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