Morocco’s Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) has intensified anti-poaching measures ahead of the upcoming hunting season, according to a press release issued on Sunday.
The agency has implemented a robust control system and has pledged to crack down on illegal hunting, that has grown to nearly 300 incidents annually. The measures follow a surge in serious infractions from September 12 to 22 of hunting and wildlife laws .
Forestry officers apprehended a poacher red-handed on September 12 in the Youssoufia area of Safi, located in the northwest of Morocco, who was hunting outside of the permitted season. During his arrest, they seized a banned hunting weapon.
Forest rangers in the Moyen Ourgha forest in the northern city of Taounate reported two separate incidents on September 19. During a routine patrol, two individuals were apprehended in possession of nine wild partridges and seven wild pigeons. In a separate incident on private land in Tafrante, a poacher assaulted forest agents with his Sloughi dog in an attempt to evade capture. The officers captured the dog and are further investigating the matter.
Authorities in Zaio, in the northeast, received a report of illegal hunting on Saturday, resulting in the seizure of a weapon used for hunting Columbine pigeons.
In a rapid operation in Taroudant’s Ighrem forest in the southwest on Sunday, forest agents apprehended individuals in connection with violating hunting regulations and possession of a Cuvier’s gazelle, a protected species. They identified two foreign nationals and one Moroccan citizen and confiscated a hunting weapon, vehicle, and other illegal materials used in the crime.
“These violations not only endanger biodiversity but also jeopardize the safety of forestry personnel,” the agency stated.
Last Thursday, “an armed individual infiltrated a gazelle reserve in Safi and opened fire on a guard before fleeing,” ANEF reported, illustrating the risks faced by forest agents on duty.
Penalties for hunting violations depend on the severity of the infraction. ANEF stated that offenders may be fined between 8,000 and 100,000 MAD, with the possibility of a six-month prison sentence in the most serious cases.
The agency reiterated its commitment to working in collaboration with local authorities and the royal gendarmerie to pursue offenders and enforce the law to protect the natural resources of the Kingdom.
ANEF is urging all citizens to participate in the protection of wildlife and ecosystems by adhering to existing laws, warning that “severe penalties” will be applied to those who violate the law.