A man in a trio of illegal hunters in Costa Rica took aim at members of Fuerza Publica (Costa Rica’s national police force) in La Cruz, province of Guanacaste, causing a standoff that culminated in the arrest of two and the escape of one.
The officers, however, could not rescue two wild rabbits that the hunters had already killed, gutted and skinned.
The incident occurred over the weekend, when the Fuerza Publica officers conducted a routine patrol in the Oro sector of the vast Guanacaste National Park, in Santa Cecilia de la Cruz. Along with the officers was a public official from the Ministry of the Environment (Spanish acronym: MINAE), Costa Rica’s entity in charge of protecting our country’s national resources. Nearly a third of Costa Rica consists of national parks and nature refuges or sanctuaries; the government estimates that the portion of conservation areas may increase in the future.
The MINAE official was certainly not prepared to spend his weekend facing armed men wearing camouflaged jackets and pointing rifles at him. According to an official press release from Fuerza Publica, the officers surprised the three hunters when suddenly one of them took aim. The police officers immediately took cover, dragging the MINAE official with them, and drew their weapons.
The Standoff
As the armed impasse took place, one of the hunters saw his chance to flee. He took off faster than the wild rabbits he had earlier killed and is still on the run. Another hunter made a smart gesture to keep his rifle down so that the Fuerza Publica officers did not point at him and tried to convince his illegal hunter partner to put his weapon down.
The hunter’s bravado eventually subsided. He lowered his long-barrel hunting rifle and was arrested along with his partner; both were transferred to the prosecutor’s office in Liberia. In total, Fuerza Publica confiscated two hunting rifles, a bloody bayonet, a machete, eleven rounds of ammunition, a cell phone, a flashlight, woodland camouflage jackets, and the two rabbit carcasses.
The Law
In Costa Rica, the administration of President Laura Chinchilla enacted a law that prohibits hunting for sport, along with other protections for wildlife, including the preventing the display of animals for circus performances. Earlier this year, the government of Costa Rica decided to discontinue the two state zoos in the country, turn them into botanical gardens and liberate the caged animals within.
Hunting for subsistence purposes or to control overpopulation of species (that are not human) is still allowed in Costa Rica, as is recreational and sports fishing. This last activity, however, is being considered as a possible candidate for future restrictions.
In addition to hunting illegally, the suspects will face charges of killing wildlife in a protected area of Costa Rica.
Article by Costa Rica Star