A Spanish hunter in Gilgit has killed the third markhor of the season after paying a whopping $83,500 as the permit fee, ARY reported.

According to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Wildlife Department, Carlo Pasco successfully hunted a flared-horned markhor in the conservation area.

The hunting fees for different local species were decided in November last year as the Wildlife Department auctioned off the permits for markhor for $83,500. In 2018-19, the hunters paid $110,000 for hunting the animal.

The Wildlife Department claims that 80 per cent of the amount paid by hunters is given to the local community to invest in themselves and the conversation of these animals. The remaining 20 per cent is deposited to the national exchequer.

Pakistan’s national animal, markhor, is a large Capra species native to Central Asia, Karakoram and the Himalayas. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, it is listed as a near-threatened species since 2015.

Earlier on December 12, an Italian citizen had hunted the first markhor of the season.