A foreign national has hunted a Kashmiri markhor in the Gahirat-Golen conservancy of Chitral, according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department.
The hunter, identified as a Russian national, obtained a trophy hunting licence for the markhor at a cost of $68,000, officials said.
The department stated that the hunt was carried out under the Community-Based Trophy Hunting Programme approved by the authorities.
According to officials, the horns of the hunted markhor measured 41 inches in length after the hunt was completed.
The markhor is a wild goat species found in high-altitude monsoon forests and mountainous regions of Central Asia, the Karakoram and the Himalayas.
In October 2024, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora approved the hunting of six markhors under a non-exportable quota for Kohistan and Chitral.
Trophy Hunting Revenues Boost GB Communities Amid Record Auction
Following that decision, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department allowed the hunting of six markhors, generating $246,700 in revenue.
Officials said 80% of the proceeds from the programme were distributed among local communities, while the remaining amount was deposited in the national exchequer.
The department maintained that a significant portion of the revenue would be used for the welfare and development of local communities.
Each year, three trophy hunting licences are issued for markhor hunting, with 80% of the licence fee allocated to local communities.
Last year, a US citizen, Robert Myles Hall, hunted a Kashmiri markhor at the same location after obtaining a trophy permit worth $125,000.
Officials said the markhor hunted last year was about eight years old, with horns measuring around 38 inches.
