Lubango — Two poachers, aged 30 and 34, were arrested, Wednesday, in the city of Lubango, Huíla province, in possession of a jaguar killed in the Iona National Park, in Namibe.
Hunting in Angola is prohibited in conservation areas, such as natural reserves or national parks, in ecosystems and protected habitats of migratory species, in watering holes and bird sleeping places, and the jaguar is one of the animals on the verge of extinction, therefore, protected.
The suspects, with the animal (female), which appears to be two years old, were surprised by National Police agents in the Nambambi neighborhood, on the outskirts of the city, when they intended to sell it to foreign citizens of Asian origin, for 120 thousand kwanzas.
Speaking today, Thursday, to ANGOP, the acting spokesperson for the Police in Huíla, chief inspector José Nongava, said that, during interrogation, the hunters stated that they caught the animal on Tuesday, using a trap, and they brought it to Lubango where they have clients.
He stated that the police are investigating whether this is the first time that they have carried out such a practice, what types of animals have been victims and to locate possible customers, so that they can also be held responsible.
Angola adhered to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which imposes a ban on the slaughter of endangered species, through Executive Decree 469/15 of 13 July, which seeks to eliminate the indiscriminate slaughter of animals and trade in species, dead or alive.
Legal framework
Angola's Basic Environmental Law (LBA) enshrines four types of environmental protection instruments, namely, formative (environmental education), preventive (areas of environmental protection, environmental impact assessment, environmental license), repressive (audits, misdemeanors and environmental crimes) and reparations (civil liability and environmental insurance).
This legal instrument also points to a triple aspect of liability, namely civil (articles 23, 27 and 28), misdemeanor and criminal (article 29).
The new Basic Law for Forestry and Wild Fauna provides for four hunting regimes in the country, one of which is subsistence, free, without the need for a license and covering only small animals.
According to legislation, enacted at the end of January 2017, subsistence hunting involves the use of faunal resources on rural land for food, clothing, pharmaceutical, medicinal and cultural purposes.
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Individuals and families from rural communities have the right to practice subsistence hunting in their locality of residence, according to the new law, which emphasizes that this modality is only aimed at small game hunting.
Furthermore, and without prejudice to the provisions relating to forestry and fauna planning and the conservation areas regime, the exercise of the right to subsistence hunting is free of charge and is not subject to any prior authorization.
The remaining three modalities, in accordance with the same legislation, require a hunting license and another license for the use and carrying of a hunting weapon.
In addition to subsistence hunting, this regime provides for utilitarian hunting, which involves the capture or slaughter of wild animals for population regulation purposes, as well as for the production and sale of meat.
Recreational or sporting hunting is also possible, carried out by resident or non-resident hunters, for hunting tourism purposes, and scientific hunting, in this case by national or foreign research institutions, public and private, or by natural persons, solely for of studies. MS/DOJ
