Novel Punishment for Poacher

A poacher caught in a protected area in Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad Province has been sentenced to writing the law on hunting and fishing twice in his own handwriting within six months.

The punishment has been handed out to the offender in addition to the main penalty of a three-month prison sentence, which is expected to be replaced by an 18-million-rial ($474) fine.

Local environment officials told IRNA the poacher had shot two see-see partridges with a shotgun in Khaeez Protected Area in late May.

“The novel sentence indicates that the provincial judicial body is determined to closely collaborate with the DOE to prevent wildlife poaching in protected areas,” said Asadollah Hashemi, director general of the provincial office of the Department of Environment.

Over the past two months, 390 environmental cases have been brought to the courts in the province, of which 115 involved poaching in no-hunting zones, 48 involved illegal cattle grazing and 148 had to do with destruction and illegal occupation of natural habitats.     

Protected areas and no-hunting zones constitute around 13.5% of Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad’s 16,000-km2 area.

There are seven protected areas, including Eastern Dena, Khaeez and Sorkh, Khamin, Kuh-e-Dil, Soulak, and Sivak, as well as five no-hunting zones.

The DOE is among the most understaffed government organizations in Iran with only 2,600 park rangers employed to cover 17 million hectares of land under the department’s protection. As per international norms every ranger is expected to monitor 1,000 hectares. In Iran every park warden has to patrol more than 6,000 hectares.