Mongolia playground for rich hunters

Press, 15 May 1987, Page 25

Mongolia playground for rich hunters

By

GRAHAM EARNSHAW

of Reuters (Through NZPA) Ulan Bator The rugged mountain areas of western Mongolia have become a playground for some of the world’s richest hunters, but conservationists are concerned about the threat to the rare snow leopard. The Mongolian Government last year set a quota of five snow leopards for hunters willing to pay SUSI6,OOO ($28,000) and in the event, three of the elusive animals were shot, two by Mexicans and one by an American. The quota for this year has been set at five more snow leopards, magnificent creatures with creamy speckled coats and long bushy tails. The World Wildlife Fund estimates there are only 1000 snow leopards left in the world, but the Mongolians say there are 3000 in their land-locked central Asian .country alone. m

“We know the snow leopard is in the international red book of endangered species, but because of an increase in numbers, we decided to open snow leopard hunting temporarily,” a senior tourist official, D. Dorjinamjim, told Reuters. “When the number of animals increases, they sometimes attack cattle or people. We have to keep their numbers under control or there will be a problem as disastrous as killing too many,” he said.

But he said that a change of policy was being considered after adverse publicity abroad. •‘We are aware of this concern. We have received protests, especially from England,” Mr Dorjinamjim said. Last year, 180 hunters, mostly Americans and Japanese, came to Mongolia in the hope of bagging any of a wide range of wild game. The fees are high, but opportunities are almost unparalleled. it Hunters can shoo “ the

world’s biggest wild sheep, the Argali, and also ibex, wild boar, brown bear, antelope, and of course the snow leopard. “The first hunter this year took a wild sheep with horns 152 cm long, among the longest found in the world," said Mr Dorjinamjim. Fees vary depending on what animals a hunter kills, but the basic fee is SUSS2OO for 10 days hunting in the Altai Mountains or in the Gobi region. The package-deal price for killing one ibex and one wild sheep is SUSI3.BOO, while each extra wild sheep costs SUS7OOO. According to the carefully constructed fee structure, hunters must pay an additional SUSSOO for each extra inch if their victim has horns longer than 133 cm. Another endangered species in Mongolia is the small wild horse known as Przewalski’s horse, but Mongolia is not encouraging, the killing of them.