Gilgit-Baltistan to auction 117 trophy hunting permits

• Base rates set at $200,000 for markhor, $25,000 for blue sheep and $11,000 for ibex

• Open auction scheduled for Sept 10 in Gilgit

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan’s Parks and Wildlife Department will auction hunting permits for three Astore markhors, 14 blue sheep and 100 ibexes for the GB Trophy Hunting programme 2026-27.

The highest permit base rate is for markhor, set at $200,000.

The base rate for blue sheep hunting permits has been set at $25,000, and at $11,000 for Himalayan ibex.

The auction notice said that out of the exportable quota of four Astore markhors, one permit had been extended from the last hunting season, so three new permits would be auctioned in September.

The open bidding for the permits will be held on September 10 at the Forest Complex in Jutial, Gilgit.

According to the official notice, trophy hunting will be conducted under GB Trophy Hunting Guidelines 2019 from October 15 to April 10, 2027.

Hunting would be permissible only in the designated conservation areas.

The trophy hunting quota had been set on the basis of annual surveys conducted by wildlife experts, the notice said.

GB Chief Conservator Parks and Wildlife Zakir Hussain told Dawn that last year, Rs350 million was collected from the auctioned permits against a target of Rs550m.

He added that permits for two Astore markhors, five blue sheep and 10 exportable Himalayan ibexes went unused in the 2025-26 trophy hunting programme, resulting in a loss of Rs200m.

Mr Hussain had told Dawn at the time that the law and order situation following violent protests in Gilgit and Skardu — against the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — had led to the cancellation of hunting plans by American and other foreign hunters.

Business owners and tour operators have been opposing the permit rate hikes for the past two years, claiming that the decision had damaged their businesses.

They have warned of losses for businesses and the local communities who rely on trophy-hunting revenue.

Ikram Beg, a business owner who sells hunting equipment, said the trophy hunting conservation programme in GB was facing a serious challenge.

“Over the last two years, the Wildlife Department has repeatedly increased trophy hunting baseline price by more than 300 per cent without adequately considering the recommendations of key stakeholders,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2026