Don't shoot the 37 Hospital bats

The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Thursday protested against the decision of the Ghana Armed Forces to shoot bats at the 37 Military Hospital area saying it is illegal for the military to kill them without the approval of the Executive Director of Division.

It has therefore, asked the military to suspend the bat shooting exercise scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday until further notice. Mr Mensah Ntiamoah, Manager for Tourism and Marketing at the Wildlife Division, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra that the military has not notified the division about the exercise.

By law, he said, all persons need the permission of the Wildlife Division to undertake shooting, hunting and capturing of wild animals including bats in this country.

The Wildlife Law states that "all wild animals in Ghana are protected by law and can only be hunted or caught by people who have a valid game license".

The law also states that the period between August 1 and December 1 every year is a close season when hunting, killing and capturing of all wild animals, except grass-cutters, is prohibited.

A press statement of the Military issued in Accra on Thursday said the military would shoot the bats to reduce their population in the area.

It asked motorists and pedestrians in the area of the Hospital to cooperate with military personnel who would control traffic on the roads. When the GNA got to the offices of the Wildlife Division, all the directors of the division were out for a seminar at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) at Bunso in the Eastern Region. However, one official told the GNA that "this issue of bat shooting by the military has come to the notice of the Executive Director, but he has not given his approval yet."

He said the Executive Director was aware that the military in the past had held similar exercises at the 37 Military Hospital area without the permission of the division.