Tripoli – For decades, Libya has been suffering from illegal hunting, or what is known as poaching, on land and at sea, in violation of local and international laws. This assault on the country’s flora and fauna has significantly intensified since the 2011 uprising, the proliferation of weapons outside the rule of law, and the fragmentation of state institutions.
Environmental scientists classify illegal hunting as an environmental crime that includes any activity conflicting with laws and regulations for the protection of renewable natural resources. This includes the unlawful violation of wildlife with the intent to possess, transport, exterminate, or sell it, or to use its parts. They consider poaching one of the most serious threats to the survival of animals and plants.
The Executive Director of the Libyan Society for the Protection of Wildlife, Hussam al-Din al-Shaft, believes that the absence of deterrent laws has led to the spread of poaching, which now threatens Libya’s marine and terrestrial wildlife with extinction and disappearance.
In a survey conducted by the Libyan News Agency (LANA) regarding the spread of videos on social media platforms showing large-scale hunting operations, al-Shaft added that the proliferation of weapons and non-deterrent laws have multiplied illegal hunting activities. He pointed out that the penalty for poaching, according to a law dating back to 1968, is set at 50 dinars, which he described as a non-deterrent penalty.
In this regard, he explained that the society is seeking to review the environmental protection law and prohibit hunting during the breeding season to preserve the wild animal species that represent the biodiversity of the Libyan environment. He noted that it is difficult to provide clear statistics on crimes against wildlife in the absence of a deterrent law for poaching and a lack of means and equipment to pursue violators.
He continued that some wild animals in the Libyan environment, such as the hyena and the Barbary sheep, are threatened with extinction due to hunting with automatic military weapons. He considered the use of this type of weapon to be brutal killing crimes.
Libya is home to a variety of wild animals, including hyenas, wildcats, deer, wild rabbits, Barbary sheep, and foxes that live in the Libyan desert and some mountainous regions.
The Director of the Natural Environment Department at the Ministry of Environment, Maki al-Ajil, revealed that there are major problems in some Libyan regions where the meat of endangered local wild animals and animals that play a major role in the desert or mountain ecosystem is sold. He noted that his department has received numerous complaints in this regard.
In a statement to LANA, Maki disclosed the start of patrols to crack down on these shops that contribute to threatening wildlife, alongside launching a campaign to raise citizens’ awareness and encourage them to boycott buying these meats. Necessary measures will be taken to impose prison sentences and large financial fines against violators. He confirmed that law enforcement authorities are awaiting the issuance of a law on natural reserves, which is before the House of Representatives and includes penalties of imprisonment and large fines for anyone who commits a crime against nature.
Al-Ajil added that those involved in violating wildlife in Libya are unaware that the state is a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which exposes Libyan authorities to heavy financial penalties.
He explained that Libya has four ecosystems, which is an advantage for the country. These include the desert system, which contains many wild species, in addition to the mountain system, the coastal system, and the system shared between the coast and the desert. These systems are rich in rare plants and wild animals. He confirmed that work is currently underway to create a database for Libya’s animal, plant, and forest resources.
In January 2003, Libya joined the CITES treaty, signed in Washington in 1973, which is one of the most important international treaties for preserving wild species from the danger of extinction.
It is worth noting that endangered animals in Libya include the Rhim gazelle, Kleinmann’s tortoise, the Houbara bustard, the Mediterranean monk seal found on the Libyan coast, local snakes, the desert viper, and the horned viper (cobra), which are subject to commercial exploitation.
Illegal hunting campaigns using automatic rifles and four-wheel-drive vehicles have driven gazelles, Barbary sheep, hyenas, and other wild animals in the Libyan environment to migrate to neighboring areas and to the highlands on the country’s far southern borders.
Law No. (15) of 1971 concerning the protection and improvement of the environment stipulates in its Article (57) that no person may hunt except after obtaining a license or permission from the competent authorities and under the conditions specified by the enforced legislation.
Through communication with some amateur hunters, a LANA team observed the spread of poaching operations, with dozens of wild carcasses displayed on four-wheel-drive vehicles, their owners boasting of their catch in a depletion of Libya’s wild animal resources.
Hunter Sami al-Tarabulsi (45), who practices rifle hunting as a hobby more than a profession, expressed his dismay at the rampant and indiscriminate poaching, such as chasing with cars and using automatic rifles and some dogs in an ill-considered manner. He explained that these practices threaten the lives of gazelles in southern Libya, such as the Rhim gazelle and the Barbary sheep, which are now on the verge of extinction with only limited numbers remaining.
He explained that each animal has a specific hunting season, noting, for example, that turtle dove hunting is best in September, especially in southern Libya with its sand dunes and hot, dry climate. Among the most prominent game are rabbits, migratory doves, partridges, francolins, quails, and falcons.
Al-Tarabulsi, who provided LANA with live photos of the prey, continued that gazelles still exist in very limited numbers in the southern border areas. The harsh climate forces them to search for water sources, making it easy to track and hunt them. However, he pointed out that people in the south usually hunt gazelles not for trade or breeding, but to offer them as a feast to honor a guest, which makes them vulnerable to extinction.
A butcher offered deer meat and the endangered Barbary sheep meat for sale on his private Facebook page, which prompted a LANA team to go to the location. There, they met the shop owner, Abdo bin Jumaa, who stated that the deer on display is imported from abroad, specifically from Ukraine, which has vast pastures despite low temperatures. He explained that this species of deer lives in hot and cold regions and in swamps.
Bin Jumaa continued that the import of deer was once a monopoly for major merchants before many other traders entered this field and imported deer at their own expense. He explained that this type is called deer, the male of which is characterized by its long antlers.
He said that the selling price of deer meat to the consumer is 110 dinars per kilogram for the small-sized species, which weighs between 28 and 30 kilograms, with a total price reaching 3,100 dinars. Meanwhile, the price of a large-sized deer ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 dinars, and the price of a female deer reaches 12,000 dinars.
Eyewitnesses reported that many of these shops use imported deer meat as a front to sell the meat of Libyan wild animals coming from the south as carcasses based on special requests for specific customers. This prompted the Executive Director of the Libyan Society for the Protection of Wildlife, Hussam al-Din al-Shaft, to express his fears that citizens would turn to consuming the local product if the import of the deer currently displayed in some shops is stopped. He said, “We seek to preserve local species,” but we need to update the deterrent laws against poaching.
Decisions to ban poaching in reserves or areas that are natural habitats for wild animals are important and would preserve biodiversity in Libya. However, their implementation requires a deterrent law, support for judicial police officers with all necessary means, including patrol cars and special weapons, and raising awareness in local communities about the importance of conserving animal resources in their areas. It also requires educating individuals on the need to protect the environment and providing suitable conditions for reserves to remain far from the hands of tamperers and to be safe havens for local wild animals. This would encourage eco-tourism and provide jobs and income sources for local communities in remote areas.
