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The Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife and Parks Department auctioned hunting permits for 118 animals on Wednesday for the 2025–26 trophy hunting season, with the highest bid reaching an unprecedented $370,000 for an Astore markhor.
The auction was held at the Forest, Parks, and Wildlife Complex in Gilgit, where outfitters and hunters competed for permits. The department offered licenses for four Astore markhors, 100 Himalayan ibex, and 14 blue sheep.
The $370,000 winning bid for the markhor permit, placed by Shikar Safaris owner Raja Farhad Maqpoon, is now the highest recorded for a single hunting permit in both Pakistan and the world, according to officials. The permit grants hunting rights in the Nanga Parbat conservancy area.
“This is a record for the highest markhor hunting permit bid ever,” said GB Conservator for Parks and Wildlife Khadim Abbas. He noted that the previous record stood at $271,000, set last year in Chitral by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department.
Other markhor permits sold for $286,000, $270,000, and $240,000. For the blue sheep, the top permit fetched $40,000, while the highest bid for a Himalayan ibex reached $13,000. Both were secured by M. Ali Nagri of Markhor Safaris.
The department increased base prices this year to reflect rising demand. The starting price for a markhor was raised from $150,000 to $200,000, while base prices for blue sheep and Himalayan ibex were set at $30,000 and $10,000, respectively. Last year, the highest bid for a markhor was $161,000, less than half of this year’s record.