10 Questionable Details Surrounding Trophy Hunter Bryan Harlan, Who Visited Pakistan To Kill An Endangered Goat

6 /10 Not Only Bryan Kinsel...

Sadly, Bryan was not the only hunter who hunted down markhors in 2019. It seemed to be that anyone with a whole lot of cash could waltz right into Pakistan and bolt out with the magnificent horns of a markhor. 

Bryan was the third hunter to kill a markhor in Pakistan in the months when it happened, and according to him, it was his third trip to the region.

The other hunters also paid at least $100,000 to shoot and kill a male markhor in the area.

5 /10 But Bryan's Fee Was The Highest Paid Ever

For exotic animals, it’s usual for trophy hunters to fight tooth and nail to hunt and kill such animals for their rare parts like their horns or tusks.

It’s no different for Bryan Kinsel, who paid $110,000 for the markhor’s hunting permit. His fee is the highest ever paid for a hunting expedition in Pakistan.  

It could be that trophy hunters like Bryan love their living room or mancaves bustling with the remains or body parts of the animals they hunt and kill.

Whatever is their reasons for contributing to endangering already rare and endangered species, we may never know.

4 /10 Bryan Refused To Speak To The Press

Following the videos of the markhor’s killing, which debuted on internet spaces like Youtube, top American press outlets reached out to Bryan for interviews, but to no avail.

His hometown or residence address was never determined. It is also unknown if Bryan commented on the outrage that was poured out from social media.

He was only reported to have told a Pakistan TV station that he hunted almost all the animals in the country but saved the markhors for the last.

3 /10 Any Hope For The Markhor?

With the outburst against the hunt’s perpetrators, it’s evident that many are not so “cool” about the nonchalant killings of not only Bryan’s markhor but also rare and endangered species in general.  

In 2009, India designated wildlife sanctuaries for markhors in Jammu and Kashmir (the Kajinag National Park in Baramulla district and the Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary of the Shopian district).

Markhors are restricted to these locations to conserve and protect them from poaching and indiscriminate hunting.

2 /10 Endangered Or Near-Threatened?

The markhors have always been held to be an endangered species until 2015.

They were formally on the brink of extinction as their numbers grew lesser and lesser from various activities such as poaching, unregulated trophy hunting, military actions, and deforestation. In 2011, there was only a mere sum of 2,500 markhors left.

In 2015 however, the International Union for Conservation of Nature designated it a “near threatened” species after a continuous increase in its numbers globally, pegging an estimate of markhors alive globally at 5,700.

1 /10 You Should Visit Pakistan... Says Bryan

Bryan commented on Pakistan’s tourist attraction, saying it is a beautiful place and more people should visit during tourist travels.

This, according to Tabarak Ullah, a Pakistani hunter and hunting guide, is one of the reasons why granting hunting permits should not be frowned upon.  

According to him, it is good for tourism as “…these foreign hunters are millionaires who go back and tell the world that Pakistan is safe.” But whether you plan to visit Pakistan should be up to you (after conducting your research, of course). 

While haunting is not necessarily an act of violence, hunting rare, near threatened, or endangered species for its fun does more harm than good for the victimized species, as many will agree.

There are better places to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars. It should not be in a local community hunting down and killing rare species – charity is a better option. What’s your opinion?