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It’s fine to shoot a blackbuck in Pakistan!

ISLAMABAD: Bollywood star Salman Khan has been doing the rounds of Indian courts for a decade for allegedly poaching two blackbucks in Rajasthan, but in neighbouring Pakistan it is perfectly alright for hunting enthusiasts to shoot down the endangered species.

The Director General of wildlife and parks of Pakistan’s Punjab province has invited applications for “trophy hunting of blue bulls, blackbucks, Mouflon sheep and hog deer” for three weeks beginning tomorrow.

“Recreation and joy both in hunting opportunity,” read the half-page advertisement in a leading English daily here.

Enthusiasts have been invited to trophy hunt at the Perowal Wildlife Park in Khanewal district, 250 km from Lahore, the cultural capital of the country.

There is a fee of Rs 60,000 for shooting a male blue bull, Rs 40,000 for a blackbuck, Rs 21,000 for a hog deer and Rs 25,000 for a Mouflon sheep.

However, if a second animal is accidentally injured, the hunter will have to pay twice the fee.

To ensure “maximum comfort” for hunters, the director-general has also provided camping facilities at the site.

The advertisement gave a reason for the trophy hunting: “As a result of successful captive breeding ... the department has a variety of males of wild species (of) trophy size, which will be offered to genuine hunters for trophy hunting (in) 2008.”

An open auction was held in Lahore on Thursday for the trophy hunters.

Blackbucks have an average lifespan of 12 to 16 years and are believed to be one of the fastest animals in the world. In India, the species is protected by the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

Almost a decade ago, during the shooting of Hindi film “Hum Saath Saath Hain”, Salman Khan went hunting with a group of co-actors and allegedly shot down two blackbucks in Rajasthan.

The gunshots alerted villagers from the Bishnoi community who consider wildlife as sacred. Salman was booked under the Wildlife Act and the case has haunted him since.

In August 2007, a five-year jail term given to Salman was upheld by a district court and he was packed off to jail for about a week.

Earlier, another advertisement was placed in newspapers by Pakistan’s wildlife department, inviting people to shoot Urials and pheasants.

Arab sheikhs flock to Pakistan each year for trophy hunting, with the troubled North West Frontier Province being a favourite with most. - PTI

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It’s fine to shoot a blackbuck in Pakistan!

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