American hunts season's first Markhor in Gilgit for $100,000

Gilgit: Trophy hunting season of Markhor has begun in Gilgit-Baltistan with a US-national scoring the first hunt of the majestic beast, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The hunter, John Amistoso, paid as much as $100,000 for his chance at shooting the Markhor, which is also the national animal of Pakistan.

The long-horned goat is native to Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Wildlife Department issues trophy hunting licenses for its legal killing every year.

Officials in the Wildlife Department told ARY News that it was the first hunt of the season, and the American hunter had purchased the license through the hunting auction last year in October.

On Saturday, the hunter, flanked by government officials and locals, took an aim at a Markhor selected beforehand by the officials, in Bunji – a controlled hunting area operated by the government.

For this year’s season, hunting licenses for four Markhors, 14 blue sheep and 96 ibex have been auctioned.

Prices of the licenses vary according to the rarity of the animal. The government had set a minimum rate of $75,000 for Markhor, $8000 for the blue sheep and Rs. 100,000 for an ibex.

Trophy hunting is a government-sanctioned activity which aims to promote controlled hunting and discourage poaching.

The proceeds from the license auction are divided between the government and the locals, where the latter gets 80 per cent share.

Last week in Chitral, a group of locals nearly killed a Markhor when they tried to get hold of it by ropes.

In a video obtained by ARY News, it can be seen that a group of men first shot the animal and then tried to tie it with ropes.

The injured animal can be seen being badly treated. A group of around a dozen people belonging to the Wildlife Department besiege and tame the animal using a rope after it was injured.

Distressed, the markhor later jumped into a river in a bid to escape the hunters.