The Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission has published a list of dates for 2020, when wildlife hunting, trapping and killing will be prohibited.
For birds, the closed season for parrots and macaws will be from January to May and throughout December; followed by ducks between April to September; ibises from January to August; and black curassow from January to June and in December.
As it relates to mammals, any endangerment of kinkajous will be illegal from April to October; followed by the two-toed sloth in April to December; the lesser anteater from October to December and January to February.
For January, February, October and December, interference with the pygmy anteater and tree porcupine are also prohibited. Meanwhile, from May to December, persons were advised that the nine-banded armadillo and Kappler’s armadillo will be illegal.
For January to June and in December, hunting is closed for the six-banded armadillo; with the red brocket deer, squirrel monkey and white-tailed deer from January to April and September to December.
Closed season for capuchins is from May to December; and the tapir from January to May and September to December.
There are restrictions set aside for reptiles as well, including the closed season for green iguanas from May to July and red-footed tortoise from April to July.
Any interference with these animals during the outlined seasons are not allowed. During the periods, there will be no trapping, hunting, wounding, killing or sale.
Wildlife trafficking is a criminal enterprise that reaps profits in the billions of dollars and is widely known to cause challenges in security and also cause instability in a country’s economy. There are regulations for penalties for harvesting prohibited species of wildlife, exporting, re-exporting or importing wildlife without permits and the use of prohibited devices and methods to hunt wildlife.
The Commission is tasked with the responsibility of granting, amending and cancelling licences and permits relating to wildlife. Adding to that, it is responsible for determining the closed season for the capturing and trade of wildlife species.
The wildlife Act provides for the establishment of a Wildlife Import and Export Authority, which will be tasked with the management of the international trade of wildlife in Guyana.
