GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife and Parks Department auctioned off hunting permits for 118 animals for the 2025–26 season on Wednesday, with the top permit for an Astore markhor fetching $370,000.

The event took place at the Forest, Parks, and Wildlife Complex in Gilgit, with numerous outfitters and hunters participating in the bidding, during which the department auctioned permits for the trophy hunting of four Astore markhors, 100 Himalayan ibexes, and 14 blue sheep.

The second-highest permit for an Astore markhor sold for $286,000, while the top permits for a blue sheep and a Himalayan ibex went for $40,000 and $13,000, respectively.

“This is a record for the highest markhor hunting permit bid in the world and in Pakistan,” GB conservator for Parks and Wildlife Khadim Abbas told Dawn.

Top permit for Astore markhor sold for $370,000

He noted that the previous highest-priced permit in Pakistan was auctioned by the Khyber Pak­h­tunkhwa wildlife department in Chitral last year for $271,000.

Shikar Safaris Owner Raja Farhad Maqpoon placed the winning $370,000 bid for a permit in the Nanga Parbat conservancy area.

The other two Astore markhor permits sold for $270,000 and $240,000. The highest bids for both the blue sheep and Himalayan ibex permits were won by M Ali Nagri of Markhor Safaris.

For the upcoming season, the department raised the base price for an Astore markhor permit to $200,000, up from $150,000 last year.

The base prices for blue sheep and Himalayan ibex were set at $30,000 and $10,000, up from $9,000 and $5,500, respectively. In the 2024-25 season, the highest bid for a markhor was $161,000.

However, some local outfitters and tour operators argued the sharp fee hikes are discouraging international clients and could harm their businesses.

“If the true spirit of conservation is replaced with short-term financial gains for local communities, the model will lose its foundation and is likely to collapse within a few years, leaving both wildlife and communities at a greater loss,” said Ikram Baig, president of the GB Association of Tour Operators.

The trophy hunting programme in Gilgit-Baltistan was launched in 1990 and is credited with helping protect endangered species.

Under the programme, local communities receive about 80 percent of the revenue from hunting permits to be used for conservation and development projects. Stakeholders now fear the latest price hikes could jeopardise its sustainability.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2025