The Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) yesterday said that a woman is to be charged with being in possession of an illegally captured jaguar – an endangered species.
A release from the EPA identified the woman as Shonette Takurdeen. The EPA says that the laying of the charge follows the passage of the new Wildlife Management and Conser-vation Regulations.
The EPA said that a report of the woman transporting the animal was received by the agency via Iwokrama, which obtained the information from its Ranger Station which in turn was alerted by Officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority Outpost located at Kurupukari.
The EPA said that the woman was not in possession of any Permit to capture or transport the animal. As such, the EPA said that the woman has been instructed to report at every Police Outpost/Station en-route from Kurupukari to Georgetown and to take the animal to the Guyana Zoo.
The EPA release adverted to calls by the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud for continued collaboration with the various agencies for similar operations to protect endangered wildlife and indigenous communities that depend on hunting for a livelihood. It said that to this effect the Minister submitted to the National Assembly and signed the Wildlife Management and Conser-vation Regulations of 2013 which are being enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency. Meanwhile, the release said that officers of the Environmental Protection Agency are on standby at the Zoological Park of the Protected Areas Commis-sion to take charge of the jaguar and to escort Takurdeen to the Brickdam Police Station for processing and institution of the charge.
