The Baniyas police station in Abu Dhabi.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

In collaboration with the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and a number of partners within the framework of the Joint Committee for the Protection of the Wild Environment (JCWE), the Abu Dhabi Police - Special Patrols Department apprehended five individuals engaged in illicit wild hunting activities in a sandy area to the north of Al Khatam.

The committee explained that the perpetrators of the infraction were five individuals apprehended in the vicinity of their four-wheel-drive vehicle with wild game, having been previously observed by special patrols engaging in the practice of hunting with a falcon. Following the implementation of duly authorised procedures, the individuals were apprehended in accordance with the monitoring conducted by the aforementioned special patrols.

Colonel Staff Pilot Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamad Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Committee, emphasised the importance of implementing the directives of the wise leadership with regard to the care and preservation of wildlife and natural reserves.

He further noted that the Joint Committee is committed to enhancing cooperation in order to achieve its objectives, in accordance with the commitment to protect the environment and natural reserves in order to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity and to promote resettlement programmes for threatened wild species of rare animals.

Federal Law No. 24 of 1999 on the Protection and Development of the Environment, as amended, prohibits the hunting, killing or capturing of wild and marine birds and animals without a licence from the competent authorities.

Furthermore, Law No. 22 of 2005 on regulating wild hunting in Abu Dhabi prohibits the hunting of animals, birds and reptiles within the Emirate without a licence from the Authority, which is the competent authority in this matter. The aforementioned authority is responsible for defining the hunting areas, licensed species, seasons, tools that are used and prohibited from being used.

Additionally, the executive regulations of Law No. 22 of 2005 delineate the species that are permitted to be hunted and the associated fees for species preservation. They permit the hunting of wild animals that are bred in captivity, including the houbara bird, the rock caravan, and the desert rabbit, provided they are hunted under the guidance, supervision, and follow-up of a professional hunter and that they are either located in a breeding centre or have been released in an area designated for hunting.