THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS - THE PRICE OF A PAKISTANI MARKHOR

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Hunters pay £35,000 each to stalk goats

By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad

(Filed: 10/01/2006)

 

Hunting permits costing £35,000 each have been issued to four foreigners,

allowing them to kill an endangered species of wild goat. Markhor,

Pakistan's national animal, lives at altitudes of 1,900 - 11,500ft in the

Himalayas, has magnificently spiral-shaped horns, a heavy, shaggy coat and

can weigh up to 17 stone.

 

" All four permits have been bought by foreign hunters, " said Dr Mumtaz

Malik, Pakistan's chief conservator for wildlife. " Some of the funds will go

towards developing local communities. "

 

A recent joint survey by Indian wildlife organisations and the Indian army

found 35 small herds - 155 goats - near the Line of Control, the de facto

Kashmir border. Markhor horns are in demand for traditional Asian medicine.

 

In China, horns are reportedly sold at £750 per kg. A pair of its corkscrew

horns, which can be up to five feet long, can fetch up to £1,000 on the

international market.