Money matters: Russian hunts ibex, markhor in Chitral

CHITRAL, Dec 10: A Russian national hunts ibex and a Kashmir markhor in Golen valley and Gahirat conservancy under the trophy hunting scheme.

Divisional forest officer of wildlife division Imtiaz Hussain said Vladislau Reznik hunted down the 38-inch-long markhor in the Gahirat conservancy for which he had paid 92,000 dollars. He said the Russian also hunted a Himalayan ibex at Golen conservancy for which he had obtained a hunting permit for 3,000 dollars.

The hunter was accompanied by his translator Alexander Sharapon and photographer Rian Horn while the local community members watched the hunting process to ensure that it was carried out as per relevant rules, he said. The DFO said the hunter spent two days in the Gahirat conservancy while searching for a hefty and larger markhor as is permitted under the rules.

“He was found to be a consummate huntsman who very skillfully fired a shot at the six-year-old markhor from a distant range,” he said, adding large-sized animals always preferred to stay at the inaccessible crests of hillocks and evaded the inexperienced hunter.

Mr. Hussain said 80 per cent of the income accrued from the sale of hunting permits goes to the local community who utilized it for their collective development purposes through the village conservation committees (VCCs). He said the population of the national animal (markhor) has increased greatly during the recent years in different areas of the lower part of the district after the local people have been organized into VCCs who worked for the conservation of the wild life. Russian hunts markhor, ibex in Chitral.–Zahiruddin