An American hunter from Texas is facing criticism after he traveled to Pakistan to hunt a rare markhor goat. Bryan Kinsel Harlan paid a record $110,000 for the permit to kill the goat in the mountains of northern Pakistan.
A video of the hunt was shared on Facebook, which showed Harlan high-fiving his local guides after making the kill shot.
"It was an easy and close shot, and I am pleased to take this trophy," the American hunter told the Pakistani newspaper, Dawn.
Pakistan made it illegal for locals to hunt the goats after poaching and deforestation caused authorities to list them as endangered. The country made an exception that allowed 12 goats to be killed each year by foreign trophy hunters like Harlan.
The government uses the money generated from the fees to aid in conservation efforts and to help "isolated residents" who live in the goat's habitat, according to the Independent.
"This is a perfect example of hunters and villagers coming together for a common goal of game conservation,” Harlan said.
Tabarak Ullah, the lead guide on Harlan's hunt, defended the practice to the Washington Post in a telephone interview.
“This is not just about hunting. The number of animals is increasing, and these foreign hunters are millionaires who go back and tell the world that Pakistan is safe,” Ullah explained. “Now, more and more tourists are coming.”
Not everybody was happy with Harlan for killing the goat. A vast majority of the comments on the Facebook video are negative, with some people expressing their desire to harm Harlan. The animal rights group PETA said that "goats are gentle individuals, NOT TROPHIES" in a Twitter post which had hundreds of retweets and likes.
Harlan is the third American hunter this year to travel to the country for a chance to hunt the rare goat.
Photo: Getty Images