PESHAWAR, Feb 16: The NWFP wildlife department has made the Markhor trophy hunting programme more interesting by granting a permit to a bow hunter who arrived here from Switzerland.

“This is the first time that we have allowed bow hunting, which we hope will make the hunting of Markhor (wild goat) more adventurous and attract more foreign hunters,” chief wildlife conservator Dr Mumtaz Malik told APP here on Thursday.

The hunting of Markhor is allowed in Pakistan under the trophy hunting programme launched with the permission of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna for conservation of the animal through involvement of communities, according to Dr Malik.

Under the programme, he said, hunting permits are auctioned to both local and foreign hunters and the revenue generated from the sale of permits is spent mostly on development of communities protecting the animal.

In the current hunting season, he said, four permits were sold at the rate of $52,000 per animal. However, he said, Swiss bow hunter Wayne Lau had purchased the permits quite expensive at $55,000 through his outfitter, Anchan Ali Mirza MD of Karakoram Treks and Tours, Northern Areas.

Mr Lau said he was involved in hunting for the conservation of wild species. Hunting in most parts of the world is allowed for conservation of the animals, he added. In fact, he said, his interest in bow hunting is because of its minimal effects on ecology against gunfire.

He said he was impressed by the programme launched in Pakistan for conservation of Suleman Markhor.

“After going through the conservation programme of Markhor in Pakistan on Internet, I decided to go there for hunting under the trophy hunting programme,” he said.

Mr Lau, who is scheduled to leave for Chitral on Feb 17, is hoping to hunt the animal in a week or two. He said that bow hunting was harder than gun fire hunting. In bow hunting, he said, the hunter has to get close to the animal and does not have the option of repeating rapid fire to hit the animal.

Mr Lau, who has hunted approximately 20 animals in North America, Central Asia and Australia, had a passion for conservation of wild animals and in this regard he had also given donations to different organizations.—APP