44 deer heads confiscated in three different operations

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Part of Seprona campaign against illegal hunting

JIMENA The Seprona unit of the Guardia Civil  based in Castellar recently raided three farms in the municipality of Jimena, where they found, and confiscated, a total of 44 deer skulls and antlers. None of these could be justified through documents of legality from the Junta's Department of the Environment, and included one that had been shot very recently. In addition, at one of the fincas, a captured doe was also confiscated, as well as various illegal implements used to capture these animals. The Seprona campaign will be specially vigilant during the current rutting and birthing season. 

Guardia catch illegal hunters' illegal take: eight stag heads

(Photo: Guardia Civil/Seprona)

Licences were only for does and young animals

JIMENA (Agencies) The nature protection unit of the Guardia Civil, SEPRONA, last Sunday confiscated eight stag heads at a shoot in Jimena de la Frontera. The stags had been shot shortly before the Guardia intervened as part of the usual control operations carried out during the hunting season. The hunters had permits that allowed them to shoot females and young deer, as there is a considerable over population in the area at present, but not males. The hunters will be taken to court.

Illegal hunting has always existed in the area, but is on the increase

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CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR Unemployment and families in financial crises are often given as the reason behind illegal hunting in this area (and probably everywhere else). But it has always existed, with poverty as the excuse. The cazador furtivo ('furtive hunter' - we like the name, though not what it means in real terms) is one who hunts out of season, usually but not always at night, on supposedly protected or private land, with neither a hunting licence nor one for the gun, etc. Just a week or so ago, one of them, a man from Jimena, was caught in Castellar shooting a pregnant female deer. Worse, he shot her having previously caught her in an equally illegal trap - he is facing charges and could (should) go to prison. Two more men were caught a couple of days later in the forest at La Almoraima, hunting illegally. Another one last week - and so it goes on. We sometimes get offered a 'nice piece of venison' at an excellent price - we never buy it because chances are the animal was killed illegally and there is no need to encourage the practice. This time of year, there's a lot of it about, so watch out for someone offering meat as if he was offering dirty postcards.

Los Pozos shooting range is approved

CASTELLAR (Agencies) The Guardia Civil has given its approval (image) for a shooting range to be built near Castellar, in an area known as Los Pozos de Marajambú, which is owned by the Junta de Andalucía. The Town Hall hopes to start building at the beginning of next month, and has an execution clause of two and a half months. Mayor Francisco Vaca met with the Committee of the Sociedad de Caza el Faisán and the authors of the project to work on the next steps to be taken. The land on which the range will be built is leased from the Junta by the Council for 5 years, which can be extended.

Hunting accident near Jimena leaves one man in hospital

JIMENA (Illustration: © Abbé) An operation by the Local Police (see another one below) had them, the Guardia Civil and the medical services attending to a man out hunting in the La Huesa area, close to the border with Málaga province but within the municipality of Jimena, who presented a firearm injury to his gluteus (his rear, Dear). Further investigation revealed that the man, by name Federico, of Los Barrios, had been shot by mistake by a fellow hunter. After being stabilised on the spot, he was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital in Algeciras, where he remains and is now out of danger.

Illegal bird catchers caught in Jimena

JIMENA The Guardia Civil's Seprona unit based in Castellar, on patrol by the Guadiaro River in the municipality of Jimena, last week caught three men hunting with illegal nets forbidden by law. These, called redes de tiro in Spanish, are spread out over an area of trees or on open ground (photo) to catch finches, linnets and other smaller birds (which are often served up, also illegally, as pajaritos fritos, or fried little birds). The birds caught in this operation were released and the men reported for hunting illegally (a common practice in the area, incidentally) and for possession of forbidden hunting material.

Hunting, shooting, fishing fair coming up

LOS BARRIOS The fourth edition of FICAPT (Feria Internacional de Caza, Pesca y Turismo Rural de Los Barrios) is scheduled from October 7 to 10 at the fair grounds in Los Barrios. Held every two years, the presentation last week heralded a large variety of events, including an exhibition of taxidermy from the Parque de las Ciencias in Granada (a superb natural science 'museum' well worth a visit there), a canary breeding exhibition, as well as an indoor shooting gallery, police dog shows, hunting dog show and much more. Exhibitors in all sectors of the rural lifestyle come from all over the country, and some 30,000 visitors are expected. (More info in Spanish here.)

Algeciras brothers drowned while hunting

(Agencies) The two brothers from Algeciras who disappeared on a hunting trip to the Barbate reservoir last Sunday (see CP item here) were drowned, according to the autopsy reports. The bodies of Francisco Manuel and Fernando Miguel Sánchez Pazos García,  42 and 40 respectively, and well-known in Algeciras, were recovered at midday on Monday 40 metres from the shore and 4 metres deep. It would appear that one of the brothers fell out of their boat and the other tried to rescue him, resulting in a tragic accident.

Algeciras brothers disappear on hunting trip

(Agencies) Brothers Francisco and Fernando Miguel Sánchez Pazo García, both of Algeciras, are the subject of an intense search at a finca in Alcalá de los Gazules, where they disappeared while on a hunting trip yesterday. The Guardia Civil has found an inflatable boat, empty aside from some hunting-ralted objects that include a gun, and called in the GC's Subaquatic Unit to search the reservoir at Barbate, where the boat was found.