Tepoztlán, Morelos — Five people were arrested in a joint operation against illegal hunting in El Tepozteco National Park. The arrests of the five poachers took place Sunday within a national park in the state of Morelos where the men were hunting a native rabbit on Mexico’s endangered species list.
The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) participated in a joint operation in which five people were arrested for carrying out poaching activities with weapons and hunting dogs. The five males were located within the Protected Natural Area (ANP) of the El Tepozteco National Park in Tepoztlán, Morelos, which is part of the Bosque de Agua region.
The incident was reported by personnel from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), who reported the sighting of armed individuals accompanied by hunting dogs within the protected area.
Ejido members from Tepoztlán and municipal police officers were mobilized along with personnel from Profepa, Conanp, National Guard and the Mexican Army.
As a result of the joint operation, five men, one of them a minor, were turned over to the Attorney General’s Office (FGR). They were found in a hunting-restricted area wearing camouflage clothing and in possession of six hunting rifles, four of which lacked the necessary registrations and permits.
The group were traveling in a vehicle with seven dogs. The dogs were placed in the care of Propaem, the state authority responsible for animal protection and welfare.
The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) issued a technical report on the issue of illegal hunting in the protected natural area (ANP), given that the area is closed to hunting.
Authorities say it is one of the natural distribution zones of the volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi), an endemic species of the Bosque de Agua region, which is endangered according to the Mexican Official Standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.
Furthermore, the presence of hunting dogs in the area poses serious risks to the wildlife that is part of the region’s forest ecosystems.
The Attorney General’s Office reiterates its commitment to the protection of wildlife and forest resources, in order to prevent the commission of environmental crimes and strengthen inter-institutional coordination to preserve the ecosystems that make up the Bosque de Agua region.
