13-year-old boy from Islamabad hunts 40-inch Himalayan Ibex

A thirteen-year-old teenager, Imam Haroon, from Islamabad has made a new record by hunting a 40-inch Ibex in Gojal of upper Hunza.

Imam shot the 40-inch Ibex in Gojal's Ghulkin valley, at an altitude of 12,000 feet. Talking to Pamir Times, Haroon said, "Initially the Ibex ran away but we kept tracking him and later found the ibex at 180 yards and killed him with just one shot." He further said that the locals helped him in this achievement of his.

Appreciating his son's hunting skills, Haroon's father said that his son had gone through fatigue and sheer determination in the cold to hunt down the Ibex. He hoped that his youngest son's talents would take him to international level.

However, the boy has come under criticism of many for being allowed to hunt at such a young age and for getting a permit. Many people on social media expressed disapproval for allowing a teenager to carry a gun and for shooting the animal.

On the other hand, Imam, who has a strong liking for hunting, has said that he will try every year to break the record of another hunter who has hunted a 53-inch Ibex.

Ibex is symbol of arid and rocky mountain of Karakoram, Hindukush and Himalayas of Gilgit-Baltistan. However, according to World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan, ibex face threats of illegal hunting, human disturbance, habitat loss and competition for forage with domestic livestock.

Almost every year, the Gilgit-Baltistan wildlife department auctions permits for hunting of rare species in the region under the trophy hunting programme. Last year, the wildlife department auctioned permits for hunting of 113 rare species under trophy hunting programme 2017-18. In the bidding, licences for hunting of Astor markhors, blue sheep and ibex were awarded.