CHITRAL: Residents of Chitral have expressed their joy over the decision of the wildlife department to introduce non-exportable trophy hunting of Kashmir Markhor as it will include the Chitral Gol National Park (CGNP) in the trophy scheme for the first time due to the animal’s growing population there.

Saleemuddin, chairman of Chitral Gol Community Development and Conservation Association (CGCDCA), the umbrella organisation of 11 villages, told Dawn that Chitral would be the major beneficiary of the decision, for which they had been striving for the last two decades.

He said that as per the existing practice of trophy hunting, three exportable permits of markhor were auctioned every year to the foreigners in the two conservancies Toshi Shasha and Gahiret-Golen, but CGNP was excluded from it.

He said that last year, the auction price of a permit was $112,000, while exportable permit meant that the hunter could take the horn and the hide to his country.

The CGCDCA chairman said that the Wildlife and Biodiversity Board of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in its meeting last week had introduced the scheme of non-exportable trophy hunting of 10 Kashmir Markhor and 31 ibex every year for the Pakistani nationals.

Saleemuddin said that the non-exportable markhor trophy’s auction would start at Rs3 million, while that of ibex at Rs0.3 million, but the hunter is bound to surrender the horn and the hide to the local community or the wildlife department after hunting.

He said that due to the community’s engagement in the conservation process, the population of markhor had increased to 2,400, which was less than 100 at the time of its establishment in 1980s, and in lieu of it, the community was reciprocated by the endowment fund for its community development channelised through CGCDCA.

Mr Saleemuddin said that there were more than 200 trophy-size markhors in the park with horns measuring above 50 inches and aged above 10 years, while 15 years was the maximum age of a markor.

He, however, said that the number of exportable trophy hunting permits should also be doubled keeping in view the strength of markhor and ibex in CGNP and the two conservancies of Chitral.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2024