Conservation of Wildlife Act 2019 Amendments: Key Changes for Wildlife Protection

We are very pleased to see some very welcome amendments to the Conservation of Wildlife Act which include the removal of all Herons, Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules etc), the Neotropic Cormorant and Wild Ducks from the Second Schedule which means they can no longer be hunted at any time and the law now offers complete protection of the species and hunting them can result in a fine of $5000.

No person shall hunt or have in his possession any protected animal, contravention of this is $5000.

No person can have more than the legally allowed amount of permits (now $5000 fine) or fail to submit their Mandatory Data Collection form (now $2500 fine) and this is a great preventative measure from people gaming the system and also ensures the proper documentation is done which contributes to valuable data used in the protection and conservation of our local species.

Capturing a bird using any method other than a trap, using bird lime or keeping a bird in a cage too small is now a $2000 fine. This is a great step toward the bird's welfare and treatment and is welcomed.

Using artificial light for the purposes of hunting is now a $2500 fine.

No person shall have, serve, purchase, sell, offer or even advertise any game species during the closed season, additionally, the same is extended with regards to iguanas for the period of January 1st to March 1st which means that a person can have, serve, purchase, sell, offer or advertise iguana from the 1st of October to the 31st of December only. Contravention of this now results in a $10000 fine and this is a huge step toward the conservation of all species and a great preventative measure toward the end of poaching game species in the closed season especially with iguanas. Additionally, Iguanas cannot be hunted in the municipality of Port of Spain anymore.

Clipping the wings of any protected animal can now result in a fine of $1000 which is great for the animal's welfare.

These amendments really do make a step in the right direction when it comes to the Conservation of Wildlife, the intent of this act, and with these updated fines we hope to see that these laws are taken more seriously and are adhered to.

We thank Senator The Honourable Clarence Rambharat and his team for their efforts in protecting our biodiversity here in Trinidad and Tobago and congratulate them on a job well done.

Sadly, despite our efforts to prevent the Capybara from being listed as a vermin species without extensive research and surveys, the capybara can now be killed and exterminated on private properties only.

Myself and several of my colleagues will continue to do everything we can to ensure that these decisions are not taken lightly and are not allowed to be conducted without educated decisions being made.

http://www.looptt.com/content/ngos-show-proof-capybaras-are-pests