Lahore resident claims 53-inch ibex trophy

Fixed licence fee of $3,000 has been set for international hunters this season

GILGIT: A Pakistani hunter has become the first person to claim a 53-inch ibex as a trophy this year when he hunted the animal in Gojal in Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday.

Hisam Osama Khan, a resident of Lahore, killed the animal at Batura village in Passu valley of the region. He has set a national record for the largest ibex hunt in the country.

“This is the biggest hunt in the country as far as our record shows,” Range forest officer (RFO) Shabbir Baig told The Express Tribune on Saturday. “This will encourage others to adopt conservation practice in G-B and elsewhere.”

The 53-inch markhor was said to be the second largest animal hunted after Iranian king Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi hunted a 57-inch markhor in the mid-1900s.

Under the supervision of Baig, who was representing the wildlife department as well as community members, engaged in the conservation of wildlife in their respective valleys, Khan also hunted another ibex measuring up to 45 inches. A community representative accompanying Hisam Osman said, “It was a good attempt and luckily the trophy animal was healthy.”

Monetary value

The ibex, which has a fixed licence fee of $3,000 for international hunters this season, has reclaimed its population due to trophy hunting programme initiated by G-B government in early 1990s in the region.

“For both hunts, Hisam Osman paid Rs0.4 million,” another official told The Express Tribune. “The fee was comparatively low for Pakistani hunters. The hunter is allowed to take the trophy along with him if he wishes.”

The procedure

The hunt came two months after G-B government sold out hunting permits for four markhors, 60 ibexes and eight blue sheep to national and international hunters.

Under the trophy hunting programme, 80% of the hunting fee goes to the local community while the government spends the remaining 20% on projects for the welfare of forests and biodiversity. The communities use their share on projects aimed at conserving natural resources.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2016.