Guardia catch hunters' illegal take in Jimena: eight stag heads

(Photo: Guardia Civil/Seprona)

Licences were only for does and young animals

JIMENA (Agencies) The nature protection unit of the Guardia Civil, SEPRONA, last Sunday confiscated eight stag heads at a shoot in Jimena de la Frontera. The stags had been shot shortly before the Guardia intervened as part of the usual control operations carried out during the hunting season. The hunters had permits that allowed them to shoot females and young deer, as there is a considerable over population in the area at present, but not males. The hunters will be taken to court.

Illegal hunting has always existed in the area, but is on the increase

(Illustration only)

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR Unemployment and families in financial crises are often given as the reason behind illegal hunting in this area (and probably everywhere else). But it has always existed, with poverty as the excuse. The cazador furtivo ('furtive hunter' - we like the name, though not what it means in real terms) is one who hunts out of season, usually but not always at night, on supposedly protected or private land, with neither a hunting licence nor one for the gun, etc. Just a week or so ago, one of them, a man from Jimena, was caught in Castellar shooting a pregnant female deer. Worse, he shot her having previously caught her in an equally illegal trap - he is facing charges and could (should) go to prison. Two more men were caught a couple of days later in the forest at La Almoraima, hunting illegally. Another one last week - and so it goes on. We sometimes get offered a 'nice piece of venison' at an excellent price - we never buy it because chances are the animal was killed illegally and there is no need to encourage the practice. This time of year, there's a lot of it about, so watch out for someone offering meat as if he was offering dirty postcards.

Illegal bird catchers caught in Jimena

JIMENA The Guardia Civil's Seprona unit based in Castellar, on patrol by the Guadiaro River in the municipality of Jimena, last week caught three men hunting with illegal nets forbidden by law. These, called redes de tiro in Spanish, are spread out over an area of trees or on open ground (photo) to catch finches, linnets and other smaller birds (which are often served up, also illegally, as pajaritos fritos, or fried little birds). The birds caught in this operation were released and the men reported for hunting illegally (a common practice in the area, incidentally) and for possession of forbidden hunting material. (This item also on CampoPulse)