Baglung, March 30
The second hunting season of the year has officially begun in Dhorpatan, Nepal’s only hunting reserve, with permits issued for 35 wild animals.
This season, hunters have been authorised to kill 13 Himalayan blue sheep (Naur), 10 Himalayan tahrs (Jharal), and 12 wild boars (Bandel). The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation had invited bids for permits in February.
Six licensed companies—Himalayan Wildlife Outfitters, Tracks & Trails, Himalayan Safaris, Global Safaris Nepal, Nepal Travel Expedition, and Open Nepal Wildlife Safaris—are facilitating hunting activities in designated areas.
According to Sagar Subedi, a ranger at the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, the season runs until April 28, and hunters from the United States, Argentina, Spain, and France have already arrived.
One of the successful hunters, 70-year-old Marcos Olaizola Alkorto from Spain, hunted a blue sheep in Sundaha Block. An American hunter has also been granted permission to hunt two blue sheep, two Himalayan tahrs, and two wild boars through Tracks & Trails Pvt. Ltd.
Hunting fees are set at Rs 800,000 for a Himalayan tahr and Rs 625,500 for a blue sheep. Officials reported that the government has collected Rs 12.6 million in revenue this season.
Hunting in Dhorpatan is permitted twice a year—once in autumn (October–December) and again in spring (March–April).
