Personnel from the Protection and Control Program of the Guanacaste Conservation Area arrested two men of last names Sanchez Mayorga and Sanchez Sanarrusia as they were hunting in the Guanacaste National Park, four other men were with them at the moment of the arrest but were able to escape.

According to information provided by the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG in Spanish), Sanchez Mayorga has been detained before for this same reason.

At the moment of their arrest, the men had with them a 12 caliber shotgun, 25 projectiles, two white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) and a curassow (Crax rubra), both species are in the list of wild animals with reduced and threatened populations according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

“Even though many species are protected against hunting, this does not stop many unscrupulous people that practice illegal hunting. Hunting is a lucrative activity thanks to the high prices that people pay in the black market for the meat, skin and other parts of the body of wild animals”, explains the press release.

The large extension of lands of National Parks and the limited number of park rangers and resources to surveil the protected areas continue to represent a challenge for authorities.

Article 93 of the Costa Rican Wildlife Conservation Act establishes a penalty of imprisonment of six months to three (3) years and the confiscation of the equipment and any animals that may have been trapped or captured as well as a fine of 10 to 30 base salaries.

Source: ACG