The KPK government has now issued 3 licenses for hunting the rare Markhor. The license for the near-extinct species was issued under the trophy hunting. The trophy hunting was initiated in 1999 to conserve the rare species.
Through trophy hunting, people are discouraged to hunt the rare species and are encouraged to protect them. Only those who hold hunting license are allowed to hunt the animals under certain conditions.
Reports say that there are only 30,000 Markhors left in Pakistan. The three licenses were sold by the government for Rs10 million each. As per the agreement, the 20% of the income generated from licenses would be kept at the national treasure while the 70% would be used to spend on development projects, conduction and on the general public. The 30% of the income would be kept by the provincial government.
In KPK, the animal is hunted in mountains of Chitral and Kohistan.
Hunt of a female animal is absolutely banned to retain the breed, while the age of the rare animal has to be considered during the hunt. Before the hunt, hunters are briefed about their target.
The conditions of hunting the Markhor
- The female Markhors cannot be hunted.
- The young and virile males shall not be hunted.
- The older males shall be hunted.
- The age of the Markhor can be known from its horns: the older the Markho, the bigger the horns it has.
How would the trophy hunting work?
The trophy hunting license has been sold to the local company which shall sell it to international clients at much higher prices. It is expected that foreign hunters would be coming to Pakistan for the very purpose.
The international community of hunters deems Markhor trophy as a privilege and honor. The species is rare and is found only in rugged areas of the country.
The hunters would be allowed to take the trophy head back to their country and talks with customs are taking place so that the process at the airport is made easy.
Hopefully, this year aged-male Markhors will be hunted by the foreign hunters.
