American hunter sets record in Markhor trophy hunting

ISLAMABAD: An American hunter set a record by hunting a Markhor with an arrow at the forest area of Toshi Shah in Chitral under trophy hunting that was introduced to increase population of this national animal that is considered endangered species in Pakistan.

According to the details, American citizen Joseph set a world record by hunting a Markhor with an arrow instead of using state-of-the-art gun. He was awarded license to hunt Markhor for 85,000 dollars out of which eighty percent money would be given to the local population for welfare and development work.

The horns of this large-sized Markhor were 39 inches long and he found it in the mountain area, thousands of feet above the sea level. Though trophy hunting is still a controversial issue, but as a conservation tool it has been highly successful in Pakistan. The population of endangered Markhor, national animal of Pakistan, has now increased up to 3,500 from only 295 two decades ago.

In trophy hunting only old male Markhors are shot and their age is determined by their horns, gait and the size of the body. The local guides also help the hunters determine the exact age of Markhor with the help of binoculars. Sajid Kiyani, a conservationist, said licences are issued only to hunt those ageing Markhors that become easy target for predators like grey wolves and snow leopards.

He said male Markhor can live up to nine years but as its age increases and its body begin to shrink, it can become an easy target for natural predators, adding, “They are also exposed to natural disasters such as floods, land sliding and rolling stones. The hunters determine age of Markhors with their hair and colour and are not allowed to hunt their young population.”

The public and private sector organisations have conducted surveys time and again but still no one can provide single authentic figure on the population of Markhor in Pakistan. So given the conclusions drawn by these organisations it can be safely said that the population of Markhor has grown almost tenfold in last twenty years.

Some say it is quite early to request the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to remove name of Markhor from the Red List because Pakistan has to do a lot more to increase its population to a safe level. According to a recent report titled “Trophy hunting impacts on Kashmir Markhor” the physical sighting of Markhor shows that its population is increasing with each passing year.

The role of some organisations is vital to protect and increase population of Markhor like World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Pakistan Zoological Society and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife and Biodiversity department. They are trying to protect Markhors from poaching, illegal hunting and also from the natural disasters like floods. Sajid Kiyani said that the trophy hunting is considered one of the major factors that helped increase the population of Markhor across the country.

Now the local community takes the responsibility to protect Markhors from illegal hunting and it also gets 80 percent share from the income generated through issuance of hunting licences to the local and foreign hunters.