Galkot (Baglung), Dec 11: Licensed hunters have hunted 10 Naurs (Himalayan blue sheep) and 5 Jharals (Himalayan Tahr) in the first season of hunting at Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve this year. Altogether 12 foreign hunters had obtained permit for hunting 12 Naur and eight Jharal and 11 wild boars in the country’s only Hunting Reserve for this year.
The Reserve spans 1,325 square kilometres and adjoins Rukum, Myagdi and Baglung districts. It boasts of 1,290 Naurs and 744 Jharals as per the census in 2021. According to Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve Office in Baglung, one licensed hunter from America could not come for hunting and another American hunter could not hunt the Naur. Hunters obtaining permit for wild boars also could not knock down seven wild boars.
Pashupati Adhikari, Information Officer at the Reserve’s Office, shared that hunters from the USA, Spain, Netherlands and Mexico had obtained permission for the hunting for this season. Permit was open for Nepali hunters for hunting wild boars but the Office did not receive any application from the Nepalis hunters this season, added Chandra Shekhar Chaudhary, Chief Conservation Officer at the Reserve.
The hunting season for this year has been over while next one starts from coming March to till May.
Hunters along with guide, representative of the Reserve Office and Nepali Army spend 15 days at maximum in the Reserve that is divided into seven blocks for hunting.
It is said that a foreigner hunter spends around Rs 2 million to Rs 3 million for bidding the price of Naur and Jharal, making necessary arrangements such as license, bloc reserve, helicopters, guide and equipments for hunting etc.
