GILGIT – A rare Astore Markhor just turned into Rs100 million trophy, as a single hunting permit fetched staggering $356,000 at Gilgit-Baltistan’s latest auction. The jaw-dropping bid highlights both soaring value of Pakistan’s prized wildlife and the unusual conservation model built around regulated trophy hunting.
A single hunting permit for one of Pakistan’s rarest mountain animals has fetched nearly Rs10 crore, putting the extraordinary value of Gilgit-Baltistan’s wildlife conservation programme in the spotlight.
Astore Markhor once again commanded staggering price as a permit was sold for around Rs9.95 crore during the 2026-27 trophy hunting auction organised by the Gilgit-Baltistan Department of Wildlife and Parks. Three permits for the prized Astore Markhor were offered at the auction, with the top bid reaching $356,000. The other two permits also attracted huge offers of $301,000 and $294,000.
The latest auction is expected to generate around Rs650 million for the 2026-27 trophy hunting programme, which will run from October 15, 2026, to April 10, 2027. But behind the eye-catching price tag is an unusual conservation experiment that has turned rare wildlife into a major source of income for communities living in some of Pakistan’s most remote mountains.
Astore Markhor, also known as the flare-horned markhor, is a subspecies of Pakistan’s national animal and is found in the rugged mountains of northern Pakistan. Its scarcity, restricted hunting quota and carefully regulated trophy selection have made it one of the country’s most expensive legal hunting trophies.
A recent survey in Gilgit-Baltistan recorded 1,693 Astore Markhors across five districts, including 693 in Astore, the largest population recorded among the surveyed districts. The animal’s conservation story is particularly striking because its growing population has coincided with a dramatic increase in the price hunters are willing to pay for limited permits.
The latest auction comes just one year after the Astore Markhor reached an even higher price. During the 2025-26 season, a permit reportedly sold for a record $370,000, at the time the highest reported price for an Astore Markhor trophy in Pakistan. The permit was reportedly secured by Shikar Safaris for the Nanga Parbat conservancy area, while other bids reached $286,000, $270,000 and $240,000.
The contrast with earlier years is dramatic. In 2024-25, the top reported Astore Markhor bid was around $161,000. The price has therefore more than doubled in a remarkably short period, reflecting both international demand and the limited number of permits made available under the conservation programme.
Blue sheep and ibex also fetch hefty sums
The auction was not limited to Astore Markhor. Permits for blue sheep and Himalayan ibex were also sold, with both species attracting substantial bids. The top blue sheep permit reached approximately $31,200, while the lowest exportable permit was around $25,100. Himalayan ibex permits recorded bids of up to roughly $13,200, with the lowest reported price around $11,500.
Despite the huge amounts involved, the programme operates on tightly controlled quotas. For 2026-27, the allocation includes three new Astore Markhor permits, plus one permit carried over from the previous season. The season also includes 14 blue sheep and 100 Himalayan ibex, taking the total allocation to 117 animals.
Hunters cannot simply enter the mountains and shoot wildlife. Permits are sold through competitive bidding and hunting is restricted to designated Community Managed Conservation Areas and Controlled Conservation/Hunting Areas.
Gilgit-Baltistan’s trophy hunting system emerged from a simple but controversial proposition: make wildlife financially valuable to the people who live alongside it, and they may have a stronger reason to protect it. The community-based programme was introduced in Bar Valley in Nagar district in 1990, although efforts behind the concept date back to 1989.
The programme later received support from organisations including WWF-Pakistan, IUCN and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. Government approvals and policy changes during the early 1990s helped transform the concept into a formal conservation mechanism.
Perhaps the most important part of the programme is what happens after a permit is sold. Around 80 percent of trophy hunting revenue is allocated to local communities. The money can be used for wildlife protection, anti-poaching operations, schools, healthcare, roads, infrastructure and tourism-related development. The remainder supports government and wildlife management functions.
The model effectively puts a financial value on keeping animals alive and protected. Supporters argue that communities that directly benefit from wildlife have a greater incentive to stop poaching, protect habitats and monitor animal populations. It has consequently become associated with the conservation philosophy often described as “if it pays, it stays.”
The most striking argument in favour of the model is the reported recovery of wildlife populations in participating areas. Markhor, blue sheep and Himalayan ibex numbers have increased in several community-managed conservation zones, while uncontrolled hunting has been reduced. The programme now covers dozens of community conservation areas, with various reports estimating the number of protected or community-managed areas at between 47 and 59.
Astore Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1975, covers more than 400 square kilometres and provides protected habitat for some of Gilgit-Baltistan’s most important wildlife. Alongside the Astore Markhor, the sanctuary supports species including the snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear and Eurasian lynx. The sanctuary operates alongside the wider network of community-managed conservation areas that form the backbone of wildlife protection across the region.
Markhor hunting permit auctioned for highest ever price of $70,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan
