CHITRAL, Sept 14: The population of Kashmir Markhor has been decreasing rapidly in Tochi game reserve, situated at a stone's throw from the district headquarters of Chitral, owing to ruthless hunting, residents of the area say.

Miraj Hussain Mughal, a social worker from Seen village near the game reserve, told Dawn that the number of Kashmir Markhor was decreasing fast owing to unchecked poaching.

He alleged that the animals were hunted ruthlessly in connivance with wildlife department. “The conservation process of the once endangered species of Kashmir Markhor in the game reserve has been put on reverse gear for the last two years,” he added.

Mr Mughal said that the postmortem of the carcass of a Kashmir Markhor in the game reserve showed that the animal was hunted by a poacher from close range with a shotgun.

He alleged that the committees, set up in the nearby villages to help conserve the species, had been rendered dysfunctional virtually as they no more showed any interest in the conservation process.

The population of the animal had dropped abysmal low in 1980s. The then provincial government declared the area a game reserve and wildlife department organised village committees in the area for conservation of the species.

The government provided necessary training and financial grants to these committees for the development of the area to create a sense of ownership among their members. The grants were utilised by the elected representatives.

The idea had worked well and the population of Kashmir Markhor was increased significantly. The wildlife department puts to auction hunting permits of two to three Markhors every year and 80 per cent of the income is provided to the respective committees for development of the area.

Another resident of the adjoining area of the game reserve said that the committees were violating the terms of conditions and were freely grazing their goats in the game reserve that mixed with Kashmir Markhor and transmitted a number of diseases to them. Last year more than two dozens of the animals perished due to the outbreak of disease, he added.