A case was registered against three people in Chitral for meddling into the hunt of a United States (US) citizen, who was hunting Markhor in the area.
As per reports, the district forest
officer (DFO) in the area said that an American hunter visited the Toshi-II
game reserve in Chitral to hunt Markhor.
“He obtained a permit for trophy hunting after paying a fee of US$150,000.”
As soon as the US citizen set up his
prey and was ready to shoot it a citizen fired a warning shot that made the
animal run away.
“The fire caused the hunter to change
his location,” DFO said adding that three people were booked in the case over
the violation.
On December 12, an Italian citizen hunted the first Markhor of the season. According to the Gilgit – Baltistan wildlife department, Carlo Pasco successfully hunted a markhor from the conservation area.
The hunter paid $85,000 as permit fee for hunting the rare wildlife species. The Wildlife department claims that 80% of the amount paid by hunters is given to the local community to invest in themselves and the conversation of these animals.
The markhor is a large Capra species in
Central Asia, Karakoram and the Himalayas. It is listed as one of the
endangered species since 2015.