Minister of the Environment and Water Resources Ganga Singh is seeking a two-year ban on hunting as an immediate intervention was necessary to end the exploitation and depletion of wildlife. He is seeking to increase the fines for illegal hunting from $2,000 to $50,000 and a term of imprisonment. The announcement came hours after scores of hunters gathered outside the Forestry Division, Long Circular Road, St James, for licences to hunt as the season was set to open on October 1.
The minister’s suggestions came via a press release in which he called for a review and amendment of the existing National Wildlife Policy to ensure sustainable management of wildlife resources. “We have become addicted to the over exploitation of wild animals which will eventually lead to extinction if action is not taken immediately,” the release stated. Singh, responding via text message, said there were 407 illegal hunting camps and the ministry would be clearing all of them.
The release noted that there have been several public consultations regarding the National Wildlife Policy and recommendations were received from various organisations, including the Confederation of Hunters Association, earlier this year. The intervention followed information from various studies that suggested the wildlife population was being over exploited which would result in the depletion of natural resources, the release claimed.
Outside the Forestry Division yesterday, hunters, while waiting for the licences for the upcoming season, signed a petition seeking the intervention of President Anthony Carmona. “No hunt, no vote,” they shouted, as they displayed stickers to support their cause. Buddie Miller, official delegate on behalf of the confederation, said they would use all legal means necessary to get hunting licences.
Miller said six years ago the University of the West Indies and the Wildlife Conservation Committee brought in software to estimate the amount of animals in the wild. However, Miller said, the results of the data were never tabulated. He said though there were over 10,000 hunters who purchased the licences some of them did not take part in the hunt. Executive member Yussuf Ali said it was a normal practice that two weeks prior to the season for the hunters to purchase the permit.
“Up to this day none of us are able to get permits at all,” he added. Ali said they were sport hunters and looked forward to the season. “We went on and wrote the Prime Minister and did not get a response. Why target the sports hunter?” he asked.