Trophy hunting programme G-B Sets $67,500 As Hunting Fee for Markhor
GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan government has announced the licence fee for this year’s hunting season with Pakistan’s national animal Markhor topping the list at $67,500. The permit auction ceremony was held in Gilgit on Thursday. It was presided over by G-B Forest and Wildlife Secretary Sajjad Haider and attended by a large number of wildlife department officials. The hunting permits for four markhors, 60 ibexes and eight blue sheep were auctioned in Gilgit this week. The licence fees for markhors, Himalayan blue sheep and ibexes have been set at $67,500, $8,800 and $3,000, respectively.
According to an official of G-B wildlife department, auctioning trophy hunting was a step towards conserving wildlife. Speaking to The Express Tribune on Saturday, he said the initiative will lead to the implementation of more techniques of preservation. He added the hunting fee a markhor had increased this year. “Last year, the hunting permit for markhor was sold at $6,000,” the official added.
