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Hunters Needed for Bukharan Urial Conservation Hunt in Tajikistan – Limited Licenses Available

(posted June 03, 2016)

Community conservancies in Tajikistan have received three hunting licenses for Bukharan urial this season. You will recall our 2014 and 2016 reports about the conservation efforts of these conservancies, and how hunting programs had incentivized locals to protect markhor populations in these areas. Those same programs have benefited other species, including snow leopards. Now a handful of hunting permits will be issued to hunt urial sheep through a community group.

Tajikistan is one of the few places where one can hunt this rare subspecies of urial, and Kurt Hofer of the Austrian hunting company Fair Hunt (hofer@fairhunt.net; http://fairhunt.net) is organizing these hunts. Hofer says his hunting agency concentrates on hunting opportunities that are sustainable, strictly legal and benefit both local peoples and wildlife conservation. A client of Fair Hunt recently bagged the new world record for Bukhara markhor (see March 2016 story here) in one of these conservancies.

These urial hunts will take place in what some consider the best game management areas of Tajikistan and will be conducted with the intense involvement of local hunters (former poachers). Selective hunting here is strictly regulated under sustainable-use principles through a community-based hunting scheme. Such methods produced fascinating results in the conservation of Bukharan markhor and subsequently of endangered snow leopard. The urial population in Tajikistan has declined in the past years due to overharvesting, mostly by locals for meat, and competition from domestic livestock. The present hunts serve the purpose of earning funds for urial conservation and community development, incentivizing locals to forgo poaching. Here at The Hunting Report we believe this kind of community incentive program is justification for hunting a handful of urial at the present moment. Hopefully, the program will lead to the same population recovery seen in the markhor.

Hunters should be aware that some illegal hunts for urial and markhor may also be offered on the market. If in doubt, contact The Hunting Report, and we will investigate through our channels. We strongly advise readers against illegal hunts, not only because of the great legal risks involved, but also as this violates the principles of sustainable hunting. – Rolf Baldus, Hunting Report Correspondent

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Thanks Kathi, I am going to look into this.

As far as The Hunting Report goes. I susbscribed to it for a couple of years. I have never seen a consrtuctive, negative report on there? (Other than the one I filed on Two Waters Safari.) Every place "reported" on there is just peachy. Perfect hunt! I find that impossible and annoying. Grrrrrr. Sorry, I forgot my meds this morning. Nap time. Brian

That is why I don't subscribe and rarely take a celebrity endorsement seriously...