The entity investigates “the facts related to the alleged hunting and slaughter of four giant tortoises, in the Wetland Complex of the Galapagos National Park (PNG),” the accusing entity said on its Twitter account.
He added that the Specialized Unit for Crimes against the Environment and Nature (Uidmen) is in charge of taking testimonies from PNG officials and appointing experts to perform necropsies on the turtles.
The management of the Park filed the complaint for the death of the animals on July 7, the Ministry of the Environment indicated through its WhatsApp communication channel, when consulted by journalists.
Although it did not specify the species to which the turtles belong, the ministry reported that they are four giant tortoises and that the alleged hunt took place in the wetland complex located on Isabela Island.
Ecuador punishes the hunting of wildlife with up to three years.
In 2019, a man who ran over a turtle and damaged its shell was fined $11,000. That same year, another driver had to pay an additional $15,000 for running over and killing an endemic Galapagos iguana.
Isabela is the largest island of the archipelago with 4,703 km, which constitutes 60% of the Galapagos land territory, also considered a biosphere reserve for its unique flora and fauna in the world.
In the archipelago, located 1,000 km from the Ecuadorian coast, there were originally 15 species of turtles, of which three became extinct centuries ago, according to the PNG. Giant tortoises give the islands their name.
In 2019, a specimen of Chelonoidis phantastica was found on Fernandina Island after more than a hundred years of being considered extinct.
The entrance They investigate alleged hunting of giant tortoises in Galapagos was first published in diary TODAY.
