Russian hunts markhor in Gahiret conservancy

CHITRAL: A hunter from Russia, Aleksander Egrov, killed a Kashmir markhor at the Gahiret Markhor conservancy under the trophy hunting permit, the wildlife division said on Tuesday.

It said the horn size of the markhor was 36 inches and the animal was eight years old.

In January this year,  another Russian national hunted a Kashmir Markhor with a 38-inch horn size in Gahiret Gol under the trophy hunting programme. He had paid 64,000 US dollars for obtaining the permit.

The department said that four permits for hunting of markhor were sold through open bidding process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa every year.

The statement said 80 per cent of the bid amount went to the local communities of Chitral and Kohistan for enlisting their support in wildlife conservation and providing economic and social incentives for them.