A photo that was published in Pakistani newspaper was amazing-it portrayed a magnificent mountain goat with big and spiral horns nestled on a rock with a man kneeling and smiling behind it.
But, it takes only several seconds to realize that this animal, a wild Astore markhor, was actually dead.
According to the caption, the man is a hunter from America who paid $110,000 to shoot it while on a tourist expedition to the northern Himalayan region in Pakistan known as the Gilgit-Baltisan.
“I’m Pleased to Take This Trophy”
Bryan Harlan said it was an easy and close shot and that he’s pleased to take the trophy.
His home state or city is unknown; however, according to the Pakistani guides, he’s from Texas. His story drew sorrow and indignation on social media.
Some Pakistanis asked why there’s no ban on hunting the markhor which happens to be the official national animal.
Others commented that foreign tourists should be taken to photograph these stunning animals, not kill them for fun.
But, there’s a less harmful rationale behind Harlan’s permit to kill the long-horned markhor- according to the Pakistani conservationists and officials, this practice has helped them save rare and endangered species.
Namely, for decades, markhor populations, native to India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, have been reducing due to local poaching for meat, logging, deforestation, military activities, and domestic trophy hunting for the horns.
In 2011, there were around 2500 markhors only.
The Conservationists & Pakistani Officials Had to Do Something
Couple of years ago, the conservationists and regional officials began taking the necessary measures to save these animals. They set 5 sanctuaries for markhors in the mountainous border state of Jammu and Kashmir.
And, Pakistan banned the local hunting; however, they continued allowing a small amount of foreign hunters to shoot 12 goats in one season in the conservation areas.
The funds should be distributed to the isolated and impoverished residents in the habitat areas of the mountainous goats.
In fact, they get 80 percent of the fee and income as hunting hosts or guides, all in order to leave the animals.
The government wildlife agencies get the remaining percentage. To boost the hunting as a method of conservation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reclassified the animal as threatened instead of endangered.
This allows the hunters to bring back the trophies with them, for example, the horns, which can grow as long as 5 feet!
Did This Conservational Method Fruit Results?
Thanks to this effort, the population of the markhor has been rebounded enough to upgrade the species from endangered to near-threatened.
This comeback, according to Green Global Travel, is one of the greatest in the world, but little known success stories in conservationism.
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