CHITRAL: A Russian national hunted a 10-year-old Kashmir Markhor in Kaset village of Toshi Shasha conservancy of Lower Chitral district, paying a trophy hunting permit fee of Rs51 million to the wildlife department.

An office-holder of the village conservation committee (VCC) Afsar Khan told Dawn on Saturday that that this was the first-ever trophy hunting in the village. He said they had long been waiting for it.

He said that the community members extended help to Denis Morozov to search an animal of the trophy size. He added they took two days to find the animal as the hunter wanted an animal of maximum horn size. “We were fortunate to spot a markhor with 49-inch horn size.”

Mr Afsar said that the Russian easily hunted down the markhor by firing at it from a medium range standing atop a cliff.

He said last month an American hunter had hunted a markhor of 45-inch horn in Toshi Shasha conservancy.

Eighty per cent of the income accrued from the permit fee of the trophy hunting of markhor goes to the local community through the village VCCs, which have been organised in different villages by the wildlife department.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2024