GILGIT: Local and foreign hunters have hunted 13 ibexes and one blue sheep during the current trophy hunting season in the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the GB Wildlife and Parks Department.

The latest trophy was a 25-inch blue sheep hunted by a Belarus citizen, Vasili Achapoukaski, in Sokhterabad, Gojal, in the Khunjerab National Park Community Control Area.

He had paid $25,100 to the GB government for a license to hunt the species native to the Himalayas.

The hunting season for markhors, ibexes, and blue sheep continues from November 1 to April 31, with December and January being the most suitable months for hunting markhors and ibexes in the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Belarusian citizen pays $25,100 for 25-inch blue sheep; business of tour operators ‘impacted’ by cancellation of auction

The wildlife department introduced the trophy hunting programme with the local community’s involvement in Bar Valley, Nagar, in 1990. Around 80 per cent of the money earned from licenses goes to the community for wildlife protection and conservation.

However, local tour operators said this year’s earnings were impacted due to the GB Parks and Wildlife Department’s decision to redo the auction for hunting licenses.

In November 2024, the GB Parks and Wildlife Department auctioned permits for 118 rare animals, including four Astor markhors, 100 Himalayan ibexs, and 14 blue sheep for the hunting season 2024-2025.

Later, the bidding process was cancelled due to low bids.

During the initial process, the highest bid for an Astor markhor license was $107,000. The bid for the exportable trophy of Himalayan ibex was $6,700 and Rs1.8 million for the non-exportable trophy. Locals secured licenses for Rs760,000, while bids of $1,200 were placed for licenses to hunt blue sheep (exportable) and Rs1.65 million (non-exportable).

An official of the Wildlife Department told Dawn that during the initial process, the fees for exportable licenses were significantly lower than the previous season.

According to official data, the trophy hunting season of 2023-24 generated a revenue of around Rs309 million.

Due to lower bids for this season, the GB Wildlife Department cancelled the bidding process and re-auctioned with a higher base price for Astore markhor and exportable blue sheep and ibexes.

The official said that only the auction for exportable categories of animals was affected by the cancellation, while the non-exportable and national permits remained valid.

According to outfitters and local tour operators, the decision affected their business.

Ikram Beg, a local tour operator and an outfitter, said the trophy hunting programme faced a significant setback following the cancellation of the first bidding.

He said the first auction, held on October 30, 2024, was unexpectedly annulled by the Wildlife Department “without clear reasons”.

Subsequently, the reserve prices for permits were increased for the second bidding on November 25, leading to a lack of participation from outfitters.

He said this resulted in a “devastating loss” for communities whose livelihoods depend on these funds, with an estimated revenue shortfall of approximately Rs360 million.

He said the business of outfitters was also severely impacted, and the disruption was likely to have long-term consequences on trophy hunting in the region.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2025