Pakistan: G-B govt unveils trophy hunting programme

[skeetshot]

http://tribune.com.pk/story/472007/g-b- ... programme/

:
The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government unveiled its trophy hunting programme for 2012-13 on Tuesday, announcing a $40,000 hunting fee for Pakistan’s national animal, the Markhor.

A fee of $6,250 for Blue Sheep and $2,500 for Ibex was also announced by Wildlife Divisional Forests Officer (DFO) Aftab Mehmood.

“The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by the chief secretary,” Mehmood told The Express Tribune, adding that under the quota, hunters would be permitted to hunt a total of four Markhors and eight Blue sheep during the season, which begins in October and ends in April.

He said the trophy hunting quota was created on the basis of annual surveys conducted by wildlife experts. He added 446 Ibexes, 117 Markhors and 190 Blue sheep are currently in the region. G-B is often referred to as a “living museum”, as it is home to a variety of animals, including the Marco Polo sheep, Ibex, Markhor, urial, Blue sheep, lynx, snow leopard, brown and black bears, wolf, fox, marmote, chakor, Ram chakor and the rare species, the Tibetan wild ass, also known as the kiang.

In the past, and according to local customs, hunting was considered the right of man, and wildlife was considered a bounty from God. That is why, when the Trophy Hunting Programme was first introduced in the early 1990s, nobody in the region was sure if it would really take off.

“Two decades later, it has given the region Rs5,223,000 or $1,246,740 in return, and the population of threatened wildlife species is also on the rise,” said the DFO.

“Last year, one Markhor, one Blue sheep and 28 ibexes were hunted in G-B, with 80% of the fees given to the respective communities as part of their share, and we hope this time around more hunters will come to this region,” said the official.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2012.

[only32owner]

when I clicked the address for complete read, I saw SOMETHING WENT WRONG THE PAGE DOESNOT EXIST.
I must say they are good on cleaning up the mess.

Regards.

[skeetshot]

Fixed the link

[only32owner]

Thanks Skeetshot,
Its indeed a lucrative endevour from govt. I wish them best and all the fellow hunters.

With regards.

[Vikram]

Thanks for the link,Skeetshot.

80% of the fee given to the local communities. That's the key right there!When people have a tangible and immediate benefit to them, they become co-opted into the conservation efforts. Or else, poachers rule the roost.

Best-
Vikram

[mundaire]

To all the naysayers who claim that managed hunting cannot work in India, this is a live example of a working system from right next door!

Skeetshot, thank you for sharing this.

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[prashantsingh]

A difficult hunt. One has to be in the best of physical health to hunt any of those animals. Lots of walking to be done in some really cold weather.

80% of the fee given to the local communities. That's the key right there!When people have a tangible and immediate benefit to them, they become co-opted into the conservation efforts. Or else, poachers rule the roost.

Precisely.
Plus the trophy hunter knows exactly what to shoot.
While a poacher shoots anything and every thing that moves.

[Hammerhead]

In the past, and according to local customs, hunting was considered the right of man, and wildlife was considered a bounty from God. That is why, when the Trophy Hunting Programme was first introduced in the early 1990s, nobody in the region was sure if it would really take off.

“Two decades later, it has given the region Rs5,223,000 or $1,246,740 in return, and the population of threatened wildlife species is also on the rise,” said the DFO.

Smart move,says all.

Atleast Gov'ts are able to decide and work the best for animals, not tree huggers - Haji