Hunters expecting to pursue Marco Polo sheep in Tajikistan this season will be disappointed to learn that their 2010 trips are likely to be cancelled. You’ll recall our January report that the president of Tajikistan had announced Marco Polo sheep hunting would reopen in that country this season. Unfortunately, as of this writing in late June, authorities have yet to take the necessary steps to officially open hunting for 2010. According to sources we spoke with, the moratorium on hunting will almost certainly remain in place through the end of this year.
Why hunting has not been reopened is still a mystery, considering the excellent results of a sheep survey conducted recently and the subsequent announcement by the president. Three different sources told The Hunting Report that communications between NGO’s, ministers and leading biologists in Tajikistan have been positive, but as of press time, no official declaration had been issued to reopen hunting in that country.
Of more concern to The Hunting Report is word from a source close to the Environment Committee, the government body that administers hunting in Tajikistan, that there are no plans to lift the moratorium until 2011. Furthermore, US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) had not received the population surveys and other information they require to issue import permits by the May 31 deadline.....
