Markhor jumps in the river to escape illegal Chitral hunters

CHITRAL: In an epic show of brutality, a Markhor, the national animal of Pakistan, was on Sunday illegally killed in a park in Chitral district, ARY News reported.

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.

The markhor, also known as the screw horn goat, is a large species of wild goat that is found in northern and central areas of Pakistan. It is an expensive animal, and the value of the one killed is estimated Rs15mn.

The hunt has raised eyebrows as the Chitral National Park is a sanctuary where one cannot hunt an animal even with a license or NOC.

Auction of hunting permits for the precious animal is held at an international level the licenses are sold for as much as $65,000, making it one of the most expensive trophy hunting activities in the world.

Against the license, the hunters are allowed only one bullet shot at an animal. Failure in killing the animal in one shot terminates the license. Hunters are not allowed to kill the animal by hand or through a second shot.

80 per cent of the revenue generated from the activity is spent on the local population whereas the government uses the rest for preserving the species and other uses.