American national pays Rs6m for Punjab urial trophy hunting

After a two-year hiatus, trophy hunting of the Punjab urial, the province's national animal, has resumed in Punjab as an American hunter successfully bagged the first trophy in the Chakwal area, paying a sum of Rs6 million for the privilege.

The Ministry of Climate Change issued 16 permits for hunting the Punjab urial, which were auctioned by Punjab Wildlife.

The permits were sold for a total of $3.28 million, approximately Rs91.5 million in Pakistani currency. Each permit fetched $20,500, with an additional fee of $500, bringing the total cost of a permit to around Rs5.86 million.

Wildlife officials confirmed that most of the permits were purchased by outfitters, who then resell them to hunters.

Due to the efforts of Punjab Wildlife authorities, the population of the Punjab urial in the Salt Range has seen significant growth, allowing foreign hunters to successfully hunt the first trophy.

The horns of the hunted urial measured 30 inches, indicating it was a healthy and large specimen. Authorities stated that hunters are given one week to complete their hunt.

The trophy hunting process had been delayed in Punjab over the past two years due to the registration of Community-Based Conservancies (CBCs).

However, due to the efforts of Director General of Punjab Wildlife, Mudasir Riaz Malik, the registration process has been completed, and trophy hunting for the Punjab urial has now officially resumed, marking a significant achievement.

A spokesperson for Punjab Wildlife stated that 80% of the revenue generated from trophy hunting would be allocated to local CBCs. These funds will be used for wildlife conservation, protection, and efforts to increase wildlife populations in their respective areas.