An American licensed hunter has legally hunted a Kashmir Markhor in the Shasha-Thoshi Community Managed wildlife reserve in Chitral under the oversight of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department.
Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Chitral Farooq Nabi said in an official statement that the hunt was conducted in the Thoshi Shasha protected zone in full compliance with national and international trophy hunting rules.
The authorities confirmed that the American hunter received the legal permit through an international bidding, adding that the hunter offered $270,000 during the process.
Divisional Forest Officer also said that the amount showed the international importance of the Kashmir Markhor and stressed the success of Pakistan’s wildlife protection-based trophy hunting programme. He also stated that the trophy hunting programme has transformed wildlife protection into a long-term income source for native people living in the area.
The American hunter, who chose to remain anonymous, hunted a Markhor with 52-inch horns from a distance of around 510 metres, demonstrating adherence to ethical hunting standards, Nabi added.
Also Read, Lahore reports record rise in stray dog bite cases
Lahore has seen an upsetting upsurge in incidents of stray dog bites that has raised serious public health concerns.
As per hospital records 1,409 dog bite cases have been reported at ten government hospitals from last month to date with women and children among the affected.
Officials said that Mayo Hospital alone recorded 46 dog bite cases during this month and of the victims brought to the hospital, 13 were women.
Health authorities have expressed concern over the growing number of cases and stressed the need for urgent preventive measures across the city.
The Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz has taken notice of the rising dog bite cases and asked the competent authorities to report.
Earlier it was reported as many as 300 dog-bite cases were reported at the Indus Hospital in Korangi during the first five days of the New Year, that shows a worrying increase in attacks by stray canines in several neighbourhoods of the metropolis.
