Hunting season: American hunter claims Markhor trophy in G-B
Rex Baker becomes first hunter to take down the wild goat in new season
G-B officials pose with the Markhor hunted by Rex Baker. PHOTO: EXPRESS
GILGIT:
An American on Saturday killed a Markhor, becoming the season’s first hunter to claim the ‘trophy’ of the near-threatened wild goat in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
Rex Baker shot the animal at around 11am in Napura in Baseen area - a conservancy managed by wildlife conservation society (WCS) since 2003.
“This is this season’s first Markhor hunt,” Rehmat Ali, a conservation manager in WCS, said on Saturday.
Trophy hunting: Filipino kills markhor in Gilgit
“We hope more hunters will come in the days to come,” Ali told The Express Tribune.
As a goodwill gesture, the G-B government arranged a ceremony in honour of the hunter with the Minister Forest and Wildlife Muhammad Imran in attendance.
Hunters from around the world flock to G-B and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to hunt Markhors, Ibexes and Blue Sheep. The government auctions hunting permits charging $65,000 for a Markhor.
This year, the G-B government had auctioned hunting permits for four Markhors, 80 Ibexes and 12 Blue Sheep.
Hunting quotas
Ali says hunting quota of the animals is determined based on the annual surveys carried out by wildlife experts.
“We can say that there are about 300 markhors in our conservancy,” the conservation manager said who himself has been part of many wildlife surveys in G-B in the past.
Markhor is Pakistan’s national animal and is found in Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, Kashmir and its surrounding areas.
Markhor had been listed as an endangered animal in 1998 by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, as its population recovered, it was downgraded to ‘near-threatened’ in 2015, paving the way for the government to allow limited hunting.
The trophy hunting programme was first launched in the Bar area of Nagar valley as part of efforts to discourage illegal hunting of endangered animals. With each hunt, the G-B government provides 80 per cent share of the licence to the respective local communities.
According to wildlife department officials, trophy hunting is carried out under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wildlife, and is allowed only in notified areas of G-B in collaboration with the relevant communities.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2016.
An American on Saturday killed a Markhor, becoming the season’s first hunter to claim the ‘trophy’ of the near-threatened wild goat in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
Rex Baker shot the animal at around 11am in Napura in Baseen area - a conservancy managed by wildlife conservation society (WCS) since 2003.
“This is this season’s first Markhor hunt,” Rehmat Ali, a conservation manager in WCS, said on Saturday.
Trophy hunting: Filipino kills markhor in Gilgit
“We hope more hunters will come in the days to come,” Ali told The Express Tribune.
As a goodwill gesture, the G-B government arranged a ceremony in honour of the hunter with the Minister Forest and Wildlife Muhammad Imran in attendance.
Hunters from around the world flock to G-B and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to hunt Markhors, Ibexes and Blue Sheep. The government auctions hunting permits charging $65,000 for a Markhor.
This year, the G-B government had auctioned hunting permits for four Markhors, 80 Ibexes and 12 Blue Sheep.
Hunting quotas
Ali says hunting quota of the animals is determined based on the annual surveys carried out by wildlife experts.
“We can say that there are about 300 markhors in our conservancy,” the conservation manager said who himself has been part of many wildlife surveys in G-B in the past.
Markhor is Pakistan’s national animal and is found in Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, Kashmir and its surrounding areas.
Markhor had been listed as an endangered animal in 1998 by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, as its population recovered, it was downgraded to ‘near-threatened’ in 2015, paving the way for the government to allow limited hunting.
The trophy hunting programme was first launched in the Bar area of Nagar valley as part of efforts to discourage illegal hunting of endangered animals. With each hunt, the G-B government provides 80 per cent share of the licence to the respective local communities.
According to wildlife department officials, trophy hunting is carried out under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wildlife, and is allowed only in notified areas of G-B in collaboration with the relevant communities.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2016.