This year’s first Markhor hunting took place in Chitral, in which an American citizen named Michael Joseph hunted the animal after paying more than Rs20 million for the permit.
According to reports in media, the age of the Markhor was nine years and his horns were 43 inches long. In November 2021, a total of four permits were auctioned for the markhor trophy hunting in Chitral in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the wildlife department, Pakistan fetched the record highest revenue this year that was $575,500, and the highest bid was $160,250.
The permits are issued annually for areas in Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Tooshi Conservancy and Gehrait Conservancy in district Chitral, and Kaigah Conservancy in district Kohistan.
According to the official reports, hunting through permits has put a hold on increasing numbers of hunted animals, resulting in an increase in the population of the animal which has now reached 3,500-4,000 in the country as compared to 1,500-2,000 in 2001.
In this trophy hunting project, the locals get 80 percent of the license fee and the rest of the money is kept by the government. These licenses are issued through the bidding process, and only male markhors are allowed to be hunted and they can be identified through their body structure.
According to the climate change ministry, a complete ban on killing markhors without a license exists under the trophy hunting programme. Currently, the maximum sentence for illegal hunting of a markhor is a prison term of three years.
