CHITRAL: An American hunter has hunted the first Markhor of the season in Chitral, making history by bidding the highest amount ever in Pakistan’s hunting history.
As per the KP Wildlife Department’s Divisional Forest Officer, American citizen Ronald Joe Whitton paid a record $271,000 to secure a permit for hunting a Markhor.
Whitton successfully hunted the markhor on Sunday in the Thoshi Shasha Conservancy area of Chitral, under the supervision of wildlife officials. The markhor, an 11-year-old male, had impressive horns measuring 49.5 inches in length.
The wildlife department issued four permits for hunting the national animal in the Thoshi One and Thoshi Two conservancies, each sold for a record $271,000.
The Markhor, a large wild goat species native to South and Central Asia, primarily inhabits Pakistan, the Karakoram range, parts of Afghanistan, and the Himalayas. It has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2015.
In Pakistan, it is also known as the screw-horned goat. The name “Markhor,” meaning “snake-eater,” originates from both Pashto and classical Persian, referencing the ancient belief that the animal killed and consumed snakes. The myth likely arose from the “snake-like” appearance of the male markhor’s twisted and curled horns, which may have led ancient people to associate them with snakes. On May 2, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared May 24 as the International Day of the Markhor, to raise awareness about the species and its conservation
