A US citizen has hunted a grey gorale in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the first time in the country’s history under an official trophy hunting permit, the KP Wildlife Department said on Thursday.
According to the department, the animal was hunted in Torghar district and generated revenue of $54,500. Officials said that a total of six non-exportable permits for grey gorale hunting were issued, bringing in overall revenue of $398,500.
The department added that 80 percent of the income generated through trophy hunting permits is deposited into the Conservation Committee’s account. The initiative aims to support the development of local communities while ensuring the protection and conservation of rare wildlife species.
A day earlier, a Russian hunter hunted a Kashmiri markhor in the Gahirat-Golen conservancy area of Chitral after obtaining a hunting licence worth $68,000. Officials said the horns of the hunted markhor measured 41 inches in length.
Markhor, a wild goat species native to high-altitude monsoon forests of Central Asia, the Karakoram, and the Himalayas, is known for its distinctive and majestic horns.
In October 2024, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) approved the hunting of six markhors under a non-exportable quota in Kohistan and Chitral. Following this approval, the KP Wildlife Department allowed the hunting of six markhors, generating $246,700, with 80 percent of the proceeds distributed among local communities.