James Walker Crawford, an American, successfully hunted a 10-year-old Kashmir Markhor in Chitral after failing on his first attempt. The hunt took place in the buffer zone of Chitral Gol National Park under a special trophy hunting program.
Crawford paid $52,000 (Rs14.5 million) for the permit to hunt the wild goat, whose horns measured 41 inches. The hunt was supported by the village conservation committee of Rumbur and officials from the national park.
This trophy hunting program is designed to help conservation efforts. Local communities play a key role in protecting the Markhor, and their efforts have led to an increase in its population. In return, they benefit financially from the hunting permits.
As the Markhor population grows, there is now a discussion about allowing exportable trophy hunting, which would let hunters take their trophies out of Pakistan. Currently, this is not allowed under the existing permit system.
The Markhor, Pakistan’s national animal, was once endangered due to poaching and habitat loss. However, conservation programs like this have helped its numbers recover. The revenue generated from trophy hunting is used for wildlife protection and community development, encouraging locals to continue their conservation efforts.
This successful hunt highlights the balance between controlled hunting and wildlife conservation, as well as the role of local communities in protecting endangered species while benefiting from eco-tourism.
