ISLAMABAD: During the third trophy hunting session of the ongoing season in the district, a US citizen successfully hunted a magnificent Kashmiri Markhor at the Gahirat-Golen community game reserve.
As per information provided by Farooq Nabi, a Wildlife Department official, the US national Robert Myles Hall, acquired a trophy permit for $125,000 to hunt the Kashmir Markhor.
The Markhor, estimated to be around eight years old, boasted horns measuring approximately 38 inches. Officials noted that the population of Kashmir Markhor has witnessed growth in recent years due to community-based conservation efforts.
Markhor, a species of wild goat indigenous to high-altitude monsoon forests in central Asia, is renowned for its impressive horns. The animal is native to Central Asia, Karakoram, and the Himalayas.
Every year, three hunting trophy licenses are issued for Markhor hunting, with 80% of the total proceeds allocated to local communities and the remaining 20% deposited in the national exchequer.
Markhor is safeguarded by both local regulations and international treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
In December last year, another US citizen hunted a Markhor at the Tooshi Shasha Conservancy in Lower Chitral district, securing a hunting permit through a bidding process.
Deron James Millman emerged as the winning bidder in October with an astounding bid of $232,000, marking it as the highest bid in history for such an endeavor.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
