DENR orders probe on 'trophy hunting'

MANILA, Philippines - Environment Secretary Horacio Ramos ordered yesterday an investigation into a group that posted an advertisement on the Internet offering “trophy hunting” of wildlife in the country.

Ramos directed the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) to seek the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to identify the organizers of the game hunting tours in certain areas of the country, including Mindoro, and to make the group accountable under the law.

The environment department had issued an advisory to the public, reiterating that Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act bans hunting for wildlife in the Philippines.

“Any hunting or collection of wildlife would be treated as an illegal act, and punishable under the law,” Ramos said.

“The PAWB was instructed to closely coordinate with the NBI in the investigation, as well as to seek the help of other law enforcement authorities to immediately stop this illegal activity,” he said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) received reports that an advertisement posted on the website www.adventures411.com, which is being circulated in other Internet sites, offers tourists an “action adventure” in the Philippines that involved hunting of animals in the wild.

The DENR said RA 9147 prohibits hunting, killing, wounding, collecting, gathering, possessing, trading, transporting of wildlife species and other wildlife resources and their byproducts and derivatives.

DENR officials said violators would be fined P100, 000 to P1,000,000 and face imprisonment of 6-12 years.