Dhorpatan (Baglung): The second hunting season of the year has commenced in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal’s only designated hunting zone. This season, 35 wild animals have been approved for hunting, including 13 Himalayan blue sheep (Naur), 10 Himalayan tahr (Jharal), and 12 wild boars.

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks had invited bids for hunting permits in early February, and six companies have secured permission: Himalayan Wildlife Outfits Pvt. Ltd., Tracks and Trails Pvt. Ltd., Himalayan Safaris Pvt. Ltd., Global Safaris Nepal, Nepal Travel Expeditions, and Open Nepal Wildlife Safaris.

Hunters from the United States, Argentina, Spain, and France have already started arriving in different blocks of the reserve. According to Ranger Sagar Subedi, hunting will continue until the end of April, with only two Naur hunted so far. One of them was taken down by 70-year-old Marcos Olaizola Alcorta from Spain in the Sundaha block.

The cost of hunting permits ranges from Rs. 625,500 to Rs. 800,000 per animal, generating Rs. 12.6 million in revenue for the government, said Chief Conservation Officer Chandrashekhar Chaudhary.

Hunting in Dhorpatan takes place twice a year: the first season falls in Asoj-Mangsir, while the second season occurs in Falgun-Baishakh, according to the Nepali lunar calendar.