The Open School of Tropical Animal

Science and Production

   4/19/2024 6:58:58 PM

ENFORCEMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION LAWS

In some small island states there is incorporated into the wildlife laws, protection for all wildlife against hunting. In Trinidad and Tobago, the Agouti needs special attention because of its threatened status. The enforcement of these laws is weak, while the monetary rewards after breaking these laws are high and the law enforcers have become customers and consumers of the lawbreakers. The need for higher monetary penalties accompanied by long terms of penal punishment, for both the lawbreakers and guilty law enforcement officers, may deter them from continuing the trade. This, however, may be combated by the high demand for wild meat by all levels of society.