Texan banker pays $110,000 for markhor hunting permit
A Texas hunter traveled all the way to Pakistan in order to take a rare mountain goat, called a markhor. The animal, also known as the screw-horned goat, is the national animal of Pakistan. The Dallas Morning News reported Bryan Kinsel Harlan as the hunter who killed the animal. Harlan bought a $110,000 hunting permit to do so. The paper reports 80 percent of the permit fee goes to the local community, while the rest goes to Pakistani wildlife agencies. The hunt took place in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in northern Pakistan. Harlan is a founding partner of Plano-based Benchmark Mortgage. He’s traveled to Pakistan three times to hunt. Pakistani officials credit permitted markhor hunts for helping save the species from extinction. Shafqat Hussain, an anthropology professor at Trinity College who used to work for the trophy hunting program in the 1990s, explained to National Public Radio why he believes this enterprise benefits both the species and the local population. “Before the program, government officials and influential people and local politicians would go to a village and just start hunting,” he said. “And the villagers did not have incentives to stop them. Now the villagers say, this markhor is worth $110,000. You just can’t take it if you want to. Show us the permit and then you can hunt here.” Tabarak Ullah photo
