…perpetrators to be brought to justice

MINISTER of State, Joseph Harmon, has called for a thorough investigation into the killing of a jaguar, during a recent hunting expedition.

The lifeless body of a jaguar – Guyana’s national animal – was recently posted on popular social media network, Facebook, after it was slain by hunters. The act is in contravention of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2016, and has sparked ‘outrage and outcry’. Guyana Wildlife Conservation Management Commission has launched an investigation into the incident.

In his address, during a public forum held in observance of the World Wildlife Day, on Monday, March 4, 2019, at the Sophia Exhibition Centre, Minister Harmon advised that the incident should be investigated thoroughly and without delay. “I am calling on the department to ensure that this investigation takes place with speed and that the perpetrators are brought to justice very quickly,” he said.

Minister Harmon pointed out that it was only in 2018 that World Wildlife Day was celebrated under the theme “Big Cats: Predators under threat.”
Director of the Department of the Environment, Ndibi Schwiers, while denouncing the killing of the jaguar, assured those present, including the minister of state, that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

“I denounce and castigate the recent killing of one of our precious jaguars. All six species of wildcats, including the jaguars, are protected by law in Guyana. Be assured that the Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission, the agency responsible for wildlife management and conservation, along with the relevant authorities, is investigating this matter, with the aim of ensuring successful prosecution of the offenders,” Schwiers said.

The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2016 makes it illegal for persons to collect, hold in captivity, hunt, kill, or otherwise molest ‘protected’ species. World Wildlife Day was celebrated on March 3, 2019.