The Central Region has become a hotspot for the killing of wild animals.

The situation is causing a massive depletion of wildlife species and causing a major threat to the environment.

It is always common to see fresh or smoked meat of hunted wildlife species displayed along major highways in the region to attract prospective buyers. Many patrons of bush meat describe it as a sumptuous delicacy.

But, the rampant killing of wildlife species particularly within the period of August and December which is the gestation period for most of these wildlife species is causing a massive depletion.

Numbers of most species have significantly reduced according to the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission and the situation negatively impacting the environment and economy.

While the natural replanting of plant species by wildlife is gradually coming to a halt tourists struggle to spot wildlife species even within protected eco-parks.

This has ignited the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission to conduct a study on the phenomenon.

The Wildlife Conservation Regulation, 1971 L.I 685 makes it transgressional for anyone to “hunt, capture or destroy any wild animal except grasscutters” within the period of August 1 to December 1 every year and only with a valid license issued by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.

It is a common knowledge among hunters that it is the period for procreation among wild animals, except grass cutters, referred to as akrantie in the Akan parlance.

However, recalcitrant hunters flout this regulation causing the Wildlife Division to enforce its mandate to protect wild animals.

Even though the commission has been trying to control the menace hunters are always able to outsmart the system since they invade forests including protected zones deep in the night and clandestinely sell their catch to local chop bar operators.

Ernestina Adumia Annin, a wildlife protection officer at the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission who spoke to Metro News at the back of an exercise which saw some local chop bar operators apprehended by the commission and their meat confiscated warned that flouting this regulation attracts a fine and in some cases a prison term up to two years and further cautioned that the commission will soon place flouters before the law.

By: Akwasi Addo | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana