The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission is urging the general public, especially hunters, to refrain from hunting as this year’s wildlife close season takes effect.
The closed season for wildlife, which runs from August 1 to December 1 each year, prohibits hunting, capturing, and trading of wild animals to protect wildlife and allow for breeding.
During this period, the only exception is the grasscutter, which can be hunted with a valid license.
In an interview with TV3 News, the acting Public Relations Officer for the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Ernestina Anie, explained that the directive is legally mandated and must be strictly observed.
She said, “This close season is in an LI, which is the Wildlife Conservation Regulation 197, LI 685. We also have the Act, which is Act 1115, that overrides the LI. That means if you are taken to court for flouting the directive, you will be fined between 200 and 500 penalty units or jailed for one to two years.”
Emphasizing the need to protect wildlife, she mentioned, “We need to sustain them because they are our culture and totems. They provide us with clothing, for eco-tourism purposes they give us revenue. For agriculture, they disperse seeds and protect our waters.”
She further urged the public to assist in enforcing the law: “If you see anyone flouting the law, killing, hunting, or capturing these species, please alert the Forestry Commission or even the police station for us to put them in their right place.”
By Samuel Yeboah Adams
The post PRO of Wildlife Division urges hunters to observe closed season first appeared on 3News.
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