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Permits auctioned for Markhor, Himalayan Ibex trophy hunting

PESHAWAR: The NWFP Wildlife Department, after finalising bids from hunters-outfitters, has auctioned hunting permits of four Kashmiri Markhors and three Himalayan Ibex under the Trophy Hunting scheme for the current hunting season starting from December 15 to March 2008.

The permits were auctioned at a record high rate including one for Toshi Game Reserve in Chitral for $81,000, showing an increase of $24,000 against the previous year rate of $57,000, informed NWFP Wildlife Department Chief Conservator Dr Mumtaz Malik.

In all a total of three outfitters participated in the bidding process held at the head office of the NWFP Wildlife Department here on Thursday.The offers were opened in presence of the bidders and reporters were also invited for ensuring transparency of the process.

The other three permits of Markhor were auctioned at different rates one in Chitral again in Toshi game reserve at $77,000, Gairath Game Reserve in Chitral at $68,000 and Kaigah Game Reserve in Kohistan district at the rate of $58,000. Three permits of Ibexes were auctioned at a rate of $3,100 each.

All the permits were auctioned to the biggest bidder, Karakuram Treks and Travels, said Dr Malik. He said hunting will be allowed to the permit holders in Community Game Reserves in Chitral and Kohistan Districts of NWFP. The advertisements, he continued, for bids had been floated in the press and bidders were asked to submit their offers till October 2007 with the Wildlife Department.Earlier, before reviewing offers, Dr Mumtaz Malik apprised the bidders about terms and conditions of hunting.

He said the trophy hunting will be permissible only in community game reserves in District Chitral and Kohistan and the Wildlife Department will make arrangements for special security, if required, for foreign hunters on additional charges.The hunters will personally collect their hunting permits from the Chief Conservator’s office where they will be briefed on hunting regulations, he added. Dr Malik told reporters that in the trophy hunting scheme, communities are involved in conservation of wildlife and the revenue generated from sale of hunting permits of protected animals was mostly spent on development of the respective communities.

For the last couple of years the revenue generated through trophy hunting has been increased due to increase in quota of Markhor hunting for Pakistan by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), he said.

In the conference of CITES held in Chile in November 2002 the quota of Markhor hunting for Pakistan was doubled from six to 12.As a result of increase in quota for the country, the annual quota of Markhor for NWFP was also exceeded from three to four animals, he added.

About the break-up of hunting quota of 12 animals, he said four were allowed to NWFP, five to Baluchistan and three to the Northern Areas.He added that in NWFP hunters show interest in Markhor hunting. The Ibex hunters prefer hunting in the Northern Areas instead of NWFP. About last year’s earning, he said the department had received $57,000 through sale of each permit of Markhor and $3,000 for sale of each Himalayan Ibex permit. Out of the total amount, 80 percent was distributed among the communities.

Dr Mumtaz Malik said trophy hunting was a very attractive incentive for involvement of communities in wildlife conservation.Once Markhor was an endangered specie in Pakistan, but now the country has the largest population of this rare animal, he concluded. app

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