Morocco’s National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) announced the arrest of a man allegedly involved in illegal night hunting in a permanent reserve in the Skhirat-Témara prefecture on Tuesday around 3 a.m.
Part of the Agency’s efforts to protect Moroccan fauna and combat poaching, an operation was carried out near the Sidi Btach area, located in the Skhirat-Témara prefecture, in response to information received by the ANEF from a hunting association.
The head of ANEF’s Ain Sfargla local district immediately went to the scene, accompanied by members of the Royal Gendarmerie, and caught the offender red handed in the act of illegal hunting, using an unauthorized traditional rifle and other hunting equipment, all of which were seized as evidence.
The offender, who is in police custody pending completion of the investigation, admitted the facts alleged against him, according to a press release.
ANEF considers illegal hunting a threat to Morocco’s abundant wildlife. On average, 300 offences a year involve the illegal killing of wild animals.