Social networks have been indignant at video of hunter killing Marco Polo Sheep. There is Mr. Bryan Martin, founder and owner of Asian mountain Outfitters, in the frame bragging about the hunt of his lifetime.
The video is posted on ARGALI’s Facebook page.
Meanwhile, social media users ask journalists to carry out investigation to know to what extent that hunt was legal.
Protectors of animals consider it blasphemy to hunt Marco Polo sheep that has entered Tajikistan’s Red Book as endangered species.
Meanwhile, Marco Polo sheep hunting is carried out in Tajikistan on a fee basis.
According to data from the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of Tajikistan. 85 Marco Polo sheep hunting licenses have been given this year. The license costs 45,000 somoni.
45 Marco Polo sheep have reportedly been shot in the country by mid-summer and the government has earned 3 million somoni.
The Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii) is a subspecies of argali sheep, named after Marco Polo. Their habitat is the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Marco Polo sheep are distinguishable mostly by their large size and spiraling horns. Their conservation status is “near threatened” and efforts have been made to protect their numbers and keep them from commercial hunting. It has also been suggested that crossing them with domestic sheep could have agricultural benefits.