G-B govt cancels auctioned exportable trophy hunting permits

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Parks and Wildlife Department announced on Monday the cancellation of bids for auctioned trophy hunting permits due to lower-than-expected earnings for the 2024-2025 hunting season.

Wildlife Conservator Khadim Hussain confirmed to HUM News English that the department cancelled bids for the exportable category of the auction, though the non-exportable and national categories remain unchanged.

“The bids in the exportable category for all animals – including markhor, blue sheep, and ibex – were very low, prompting the cancellation,” he explained. “A new auction is scheduled for November 25.”

On October 30, the department initially put 118 permits up for auction for hunting rare species in community-controlled hunting areas (CCHAs) across Gilgit-Baltistan. These included four permits for the Astore markhor, 14 for blue sheep, and 100 for Himalayan ibex. Of these, permits were successfully auctioned for four markhor, 12 blue sheep, and 86 ibex. However, the bids were notably lower compared to last year.

The highest bids for two Astore markhor permits in the Danyore and Buji CCHAs reached $107,000 each, a sharp decrease from last year’s record high of $181,000. The remaining two permits, allocated for Sikanderabad and Tangir CCHAs, were auctioned for $106,000 each, compared to last year’s bids of $171,000 to $180,000.

For the Himalayan ibex, the top bid for an exportable trophy was $6,700, while bids for non-exportable trophies reached Rs. 1.8 million. Local hunters placed the highest bid at Rs. 760,000 for ibex permits. Blue sheep trophies attracted bids of $11,200 for exportable permits and Rs. 1.65 million for non-exportable ones. Both were significantly lower than the previous season, where international permits saw bids between $26,000 and $35,000, and local permits reached up to Rs. 1.8 million.