US citizen hunts Markhor in Chitral after obtaining permit for record $232,000

PESHAWAR: A US citizen on Sunday hunted a magnificent Markhor at Tooshi Shasha Conservancy of Lower Chitral district, sources told Geo News.

Deron James Millman, a US national, got a permit for trophy hunting from the wildlife department for a whopping $232,000, making it the biggest bid in history. 

The sources added that the permit for hunting the Markhor, which is a wild goat that is native to high-altitude monsoon forests in central Asia, was obtained in October through bidding. 

The wildlife department said that the horn size of the mountain monarch was 45 inches.

In October last year, the wildlife department in the country’s northernmost territory auctioned hunting permits for Astor Markhors at record prices under the trophy scheme. 

Hunting permits are issued annually for various areas, including Gilgit-Baltistan, Tooshi Conservancy in Chitral District, Gehrait Conservancy in Chitral District and Kaigah Conservancy in Kohistan District.

Last year, the highest bid received for the associated species of Astor Markhor was $167,525.

The concept of trophy hunting has produced positive results as the Markhor population has increased. 

Under the trophy hunting programme, local communities receive 80% of the licence fee and the government keeps the rest. The amount varies as licences are issued through a bidding process.

Moreover, only old and male Markhors are shot and such animals can be identified from their horns, gait and body structure. This programme has been cited as a huge success in biodiversity preservation in Pakistan.

The incentives created through the trophy hunting programme have introduced new ethical standards among the concerned communities that now protect their wild game species as an economic asset.

Markhor, the national animal of Pakistan, is protected by local and international laws such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).