Hunting season has begun in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, the main wildlife hunting hub of Nepal to allow tourists to hunt animals.
A total of 10 Himalayan blue sheep (Naur) and six Himalayan Tahr (Jharal) will be allowed to be hunted during the first season beginning Nepali month of mid-September to mid-December (the Reserve allows the hunting for two seasons a year), said a reserve official.
Four hunting companies have been given permission for the hunting. But only three have reached an agreement so far with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation to allow the total 10 hunters into the Reserve, said Ananath Baral, chief of the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve Office, Baglung. The Department announces a tender before allowing the hunting.
As mentioned in the bidding approved by the Department for this season, anything between Rs 200,000 and over Rs 1.2 million is charged to hunt a Himalayan blue sheep, and Rs 100,000 to Rs 900,000 to hunt a Himalayan Tahr.
Tourists from as far as the United States of America, Russia and Spain venture into Nepal for the hunting.
Established in 2042 B.S., the Reserve started attracting foreign hunters since. Tourists take the Reserve as the main hunting destination among many such hunting destinations in the world.
The Reserve announces a bidding to hunt animals after allocating the number of Naur and Jharal to be hunted.
The hunters who are allowed permission to hunt are given a 15-day timeframe to hunt Naur and Jharal in the direct presence of employees of the Reserve. They are armed with necessary weapons, guns, bullets and cameras.
Hunters charter a helicopter to reach the Reserve as it is difficult to use road, said Bir Bahadur Thapa, an employee of the Reserve. In some cases, hunters return empty-handed as they fail to hunt an animal. Those who hunt a Naur or Jharal are allowed to take the hunted animal’s head with them to their home country.
