The Ministry of the Environment has brought to the Ecuadorian justice the hunting of a puma in a community of Morona Santiago, in the Amazon.
The State portfolio filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office for this case that occurred on March 1.
Reports from that ministry indicate that on that day, residents of the María Auxiliadora and San Francisco communities hunted the feline with a firearm for having attacked their farmyard animals: sheep, cows and a horse.
It is a puma concolor, which in Ecuador inhabits all the ecosystems of the continental region, although it prefers to avoid swampy areas. In sectors in Ecuador it shares habitat with the jaguar.
The complaint filed with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office is for an alleged crime against wildlife, since the animal is listed as endangered according to the Red Book of Mammals of Ecuador.
During a tour carried out by officials, the skin and skull of the animal were found in the homes of two citizens at points in the canton.
Juan Ordóñez, Zonal 6 director of MAATE, categorically rejected this fact. “Between 2021 and the beginning of 2022, there are 5 complaints that have been filed with the Prosecutor for animal cruelty. As an authority for the Environment and Water, we demand that the full weight of the Law be applied to those who threaten wildlife and encourage their illegal trafficking,” he said.
Those denounced can face a custodial sentence of one to three years if their responsibility is proven.
The complaint points to the application of art. 247 of the Organic Comprehensive Criminal Code (COIP) that refers to the penalties for people who hunt, fish, capture, collect, extract, have, transport or traffic threatened, endangered and migratory species. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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