Asadullah Bazai, Pakistan’s former national shooting champion and a veteran hunter, is on a mission to save the country’s rare Sulaiman markhor, a straight-horned goat once on the verge of extinction due to extensive hunting and poaching.
At 55, Bazai and his team have dedicated significant time and resources to preserving this rare species in southwestern Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan.
The Sulaiman markhor, a sub-species of Pakistan’s national animal, the markhor, is endemic to Asia. In Balochistan, the mountainous regions of Torghar and Takatu are major habitats for the animal, which is also found in smaller numbers in Ziarat, Sherani, and Zhob districts.
Bazai, a father of five who has represented Pakistan in numerous international shooting events, had previously hunted many animals, including dozens of Sulaiman markhors. However, he gave up the practice in 2002 to focus on conservation.
His team, comprising former amateur hunters and wildlife photographers, operates across the Takatu Range, located northeast of Quetta and spanning over 150 kilometers (93 miles).
Bazai’s transformation from hunter to conservationist began in 2002 after meeting Hungarian rifle shooters at a competition in Karachi. “It was a life-changing moment that transformed me from a hunter to a conservator. One of them told me don’t shoot live animals with a rifle, shoot them with a camera,” he told Anadolu.
At the start of his campaign in 2002, there were only a few dozen Sulaiman markhors left in the Takatu Range. Now, estimates by Bazai and other wildlife experts place the population at around 2,000, with a 2023 survey by the Balochistan Wildlife Department estimating 1,400 in the Takatu Range.
“We have involved local communities in our campaign and convinced them to not kill the animal, and also to stop hunters from doing that,” Bazai added.
Years of effort, including greater community involvement and a sustainable trophy hunting program, have helped stabilize the population of the Sulaiman markhor. A long-term project launched in the 1980s by Balochistan’s Forest Department, in collaboration with tribal chief and wildlife lover Mir Naseer Khan, began yielding results in the early 2000s.
“When that project was launched, the total population of Sulaiman markhor was alarmingly low, just less than 100,” said Tahir Rasheed, a Quetta-based wildlife expert and head of the Balochistan Rural Support Program.
In the last survey conducted a decade ago, the population of Sulaiman markhors was recorded at over 3,000. Current estimates suggest their number is between 4,500 and 5,000, said Arz Mohammad, a conservator at the Balochistan Wildlife Department.
Despite international wildlife organizations still categorizing the Sulaiman markhor as an endangered species, Mohammad believes the population can now be classified as “stable” due to the gradual and significant increase over the years.
The Sulaiman markhor enjoys a diverse habitat across Balochistan, which makes up 42% of Pakistan in terms of land. Together with Takatu, the Torghar range hosts 95% of the animal’s total population, with Torghar estimated to have around 3,500 Sulaiman markhors.
The distance between these habitats reduces the risk of disease transmission among the populations. Another factor contributing to the population increase is a trophy hunting program. For the 2023-24 hunting season, the Balochistan government granted a permit to hunt a Sulaiman markhor for a record $245,000, one of the highest-priced permits in the world.
A total of four licenses are issued annually, with the remaining three permits granted for $220,000, $218,000, and $210,000. The government uses the revenue to support local communities by building schools, mosques, health centers, and providing scholarships to students.
About 80% of the funds generated from the hunting license program, launched in the early 2000s, is spent on local communities, with the remainder going to the national exchequer.
