Respect ban on hunting activities or face prosecution – Forestry Commission

A Director at the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Nana Kofi Adu Nsiah says the ban on hunting activities would help protect the Ghana’s wildlife resources, watering down concerns it will create joblessness.

Speaking on TV3 Midday News, he mentioned that the period of the ban is a statutory closed season, hence, any one or group of persons who hunt or capture a game between August 1 and December 1, 2018, breaks the wildlife convention regulations, and is liable on immediate conviction to a fine.

He cautioned hunters to observe the ban, or risk facing the law.

According to the Nana Kofi Adu Nsiah , the four month closed season is in line with the Wildlife Convention Regulations, LI, 685 of 1971, and if anyone goes against the rules the person will be dealt with.

“If you go contrary to the law, what it states is that you will be prosecuted, be fined or imprisoned or both.”

He noted that the closed season is the time of the year during which hunting any animal other than grass cutter is prohibited by law, and the period is among the measures adopted to regulate utilization and to curb the decline of wildlife resource in the country.

“We still have elephants, good population of elephants in our parks and if we were not having those restrictions, by now people might have killed all the elephants.”

“We put this thing in place because, it is the time to give respect to some of our nursing wild life and then also young ones and those that are pregnant,” he added.

Mr. Adu Nsiah explained the benefits in protecting the wildlife and called for media support in educating the public

“If Ghanaians will continue to understand us, and we will all conserve our wild life resources, then we will continue to have most of the species.”

“So the media, I think you also have a very good role to play, we shouldn’t even wait for the closed season alone, every time we should continue to send the message to the people.”

He urged the public, mainly hunters, to temporarily stop their activities during the closed season and also be cautious during the open season to protect Ghana’s wild life.

“Let’s protect our wild life which is our heritage,” he cautioned.