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Markhor hunting license sold for |
Gilgit-Baltistan Department of
Forests and Wildlife has sold the hunting license for the rare wild animal
Astor Markhor under the trophy hunting policy at a historic price of US$136,000
Residents of America, France and
European countries get licenses from domestic companies to hunt Astor Markhor
in Gilgit-Baltistan.
In the last 2 years, the Astor
Markhor license has been sold at the most expensive price in history. Earlier,
the license of Astor Markhor was auctioned for 100,000 to 120,000 US dollars, However,
the people have received an extraordinary financial benefit due to the rapid
increase in the value of the dollar this year.
The annual auction of licenses
for hunting wild animals in the regional office of the Department of Forests
and Wildlife was held under the supervision of Secretary Forest and Wildlife
Faisal Ahsan Pirzada. In which local and foreign outfitters participated in the
auction of trophy hunting licenses for hunting wild animals.
The auction marked the highest
bid in the history of Gilgit-Baltistan for hunting licenses for Astor Markhor and
the outfitter company Mehran Safari has got the license to hunt the Astor
Markhor in Kargah Gilgit Conservation Area by bidding US$136,000 (Which is 3
crore 71 lakh 86 thousand rupees according to Pakistani currency)
Last year, outdoor outfitter
Adventure Center won the license to hunt the Astor Markhor by paying the
highest bid of US$136,000.
The most expensive license issued
for annual wild animal hunting is sold by Astor Markhor, this time the license
has been acquired by a company called Mehran Safari.
The Dawn Newspaper reported that
the trophy hunting season starts in November and ends in April.
Foreign, national and local
hunters hunt trophies in protected areas of Gilgit-Baltistan after obtaining
licenses.
The trophy hunting program was
started in the 80s which is under the International Convention on Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and is allowed only in certain areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.
85% of the revenue earned from
hunting wild animals is given to the community adjacent to the hunting site
while 15% is deposited in the national treasury.
The money is spent on health, education and other social projects under an agreement to help local people protect animals and stop poaching.