10 arrested for flouting bush meat hunting ban

Ten persons have been arrested by the police for flouting the temporal ban on hunting and trading in assorted bush meat in parts of the Central Region.

The suspects are hunters and chop bar operators who were apprehended at Mankessim and Assin Fosu.

Meat of Duiker, bush rats and other wildlife species were confiscated by a joint Wildlife team from the Forestry Commission and Police Service who were on surveillance and monitoring to ensure traders in that sector comply with the suspension (closed season) of hunting for wildlife animals from August to December this year.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission (FC), Ms Ernestina Adumea Anie, who disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times said statements had been taken from the suspects and were assisting the police in investigations.

She stated that the hunters were apprehended without licence whiles the chop bar operators were trading illegally in the wildlife species.

The PRO said as part of its monitoring and surveillance activities, the Wildlife Division of the FC, police and park managers, among others, embarked on an exercise to ensure that traders in such places comply with directives that species in the wildlife were protected.

Ms Adumea Anie assured the public that the Wildlife Division of the FC was determined to protect wildlife and the ecosystem in the country and called on stakeholders in the sector to partner the division in protecting the wildlife species.

She said as part of the exercise traders were educated on the need to suspend their activities in the trading of the animals.

It would be recalled in the Ghanaian Times Thursday, October 12, 2023 issue that the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission (FC) last Tuesday confiscated assorted bush meat from chop bars and traders during an operation in the Central Region towns of Senya Breku, Winneba and Mankessim.

It would also be recalled that the Wildlife Division of the FC this year announced the closed season from August 1 to December 1, 2023 during which hunting and capturing of wildlife is suspended.

The period is used to control the over exploitation of wild animals and had been institutionalised by the Wildlife Division of FC under the Wildlife Conservation Regulation, 1971 LI 685.

The aim of the suspension is to protect wildlife species to procreate and nurture young ones during the period.

The only animal that can be hunted within the period is the grass cutter (Akrantie), but that can be done with a valid license issued by the Wildlife Division.

BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI

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