Suspected hunter of markhor presented before Chitral court

CHITRAL: A suspected man who was involved in the unlawful hunting of a markhor on Jan 6, was presented before the court of the assistant commissioner of Chitral following his arrest.

According to details, a man, Aslam Baig, was nabbed from his residence and a case was registered against him under the Wildlife and Biodiversity Act, 2015.

In an epic show of brutality, a Markhor, the national animal of Pakistan was illegally killed in a park of Chitral by two hunters.

In a video obtained by ARY News, it can be seen that a group of men first shot the 10-year-old markhor and then tried to tie it with ropes.

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

The carcass of the animal was brought to the hospital for post-mortem which unveiled that the male markhor died owing to gunshot wounds.

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.