A blood sport: Poachers arrested for illegal hunt of Kashmiri markhor

Wildlife dept bans partridge hunting as season ends

CHITRAL/PESHAWAR:  

Police arrested two poachers on Monday for illegally hunting a markhor in Toshi Shasha Game Reserve area near Chitral city, despite a ban. They said the accused hunted a Kashmiri markhor in the area Sunday night and hid the carcass.

Based on a report of Chitral SHO Sultan Baig, wildlife watchers Qazi Ahmed and Jamshed Alam and Chitral DPO Asif Iqbal Mohmand formed a team and issued directives for the arrest of the illegal hunters.

The search operation kicked off under the supervision of ASI Qurban Ali and Nasir Ali. The two accused, Mubarak Ahmed and Israr, were subsequently arrested. They told the police where they had hidden the markhor carcass – police confiscated their weapon and the skin.

The markhor was nine years old with a trophy cost of one billion rupees.

Partridge season ends

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa wildlife department has notified hunters of partridges across the province to desist as shooting season has come to a close.

The department issued a press release on Monday, stating the shooting season for partridges closed on February 7. Therefore, it added, hunting of the birds will be a violation of the rules and regulation of the department.

The department has asked the hunters to abide by the wildlife hunting rules otherwise they can face both a fine and imprisonment.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th,  2016.