The trophy hunting auction in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday attracted record bids, with foreign hunters paying unprecedented sums for endangered species.
A permit to hunt the prized Astore markhor in the Nanaga Parbat conservancy was sold for $370,000, the highest ever bid recorded in the region. Other markhor permits went for between $240,000 and $286,000.
In total, permits were auctioned for four markhors, 14 blue sheep, and nearly 80 Himalayan ibexes. Hunting will be allowed between November 1 and April 25.
Officials explained that hunting takes place under a community-controlled system where 80 percent of revenue goes back to local communities. “This income is vital for conservation and for community welfare,” said Wildlife Conservator Khadim Abbas.
The government retains the remaining 20 percent, which last year amounted to more than Rs600 million.