Hudson paid USD 61,500 to obtain the licence of hunting the highest-rated Astoremarkhor.
Last month, another American, Joseph Bradford, hunted a Kashmir markhor with 40-inch horns in Chitral’sToshiShasha conservation area with a bow, making a record as it was the first trophy hunting performed with a bow. He had paid around Rs 13.12 million (USD 81,583) for the permit.
The trophy hunting programme, which began in the 1980s, is carried out under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wildlife and is allowed only in the notified areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Any person found involved in illegal hunting is caught and penalised.
Islamabad, January 24
An American citizen has hunted the highest-rated Astore markhor, a rare species in Gilgit-Baltistan, after paying USD 61,500 as a licence fee during the current hunting trophy s
A markhor is seen in this file photo.
GILGIT: An American citizen has hunted the highest-rated Astore markhor, a rare species in Gilgit-Baltistan, after paying $61,500 as a licence fee during the current hunting trophy season.
Edward Joseph Hudson hunted the markhor near the Dashkin-Mushkin-Tarbuling (DMT) conservation area in Astore, according to the Gilgit-Baltistan wildlife department.
The horns of the hunted animal were measured at 41 inches.
For the trophy hunting programme of 2020-21, the Gilgit-Baltistan wildlife, environment and forest department has auctioned only four permits for Astore markhor, 18 for blue sheep and 150 for Himalayan ibexes.
The trophy hunting programme starts in November and ends in April. Foreign, national and local hunters hunt the trophies in conservation areas of Gilgit-Baltistan after getting licences.
American hunts down longest horned Markhor in Chitral
Edward Joseph paid the official authorities $88,000 as permit fee
American huntner Edward Joseph poses with the longest horned-Markhor he hunted down in the Toshi Shasha conservation area in Chitral. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ABOTTABAD:
According to wildlife officials, an American citizen named Edward Joseph Hudson hunted down the longest horned Markhor in the Toshi Shasha conservation area in Chitral on Saturday.
The hunter was said to have paid the official authorities $88,000 as the permit fee to hunt the Markhor under the hunting trophy programme.
Chitral wildlife range head Altaf Ali Shah while talking to