Muscat: Arab gazelles deers were illegally hunted and law enforcement officers were threatened with weapons in Ras Al Shajer Nature Reserve.
A statement issued online by the Office of Conservation of the Environment said: ”On the evening of Tuesday, May 18, 2021, the Ras Al Shajer Nature Reserve Arab gazelles sniped, and law enforcement officers were threatened with weapons while performing their duties.”
In cooperation with the Royal Oman Police, the driver of the vehicle was arrested and the vehicle used in the wildlife violation was seized. In it, night binoculars, a flashlight, a knife, and bags containing 6 Arab gazelles were found, which were caught by bullets and slaughtered.
Efforts are still being made by the police to arrest the rest of the perpetrators who fled from the scene to the mountains after they used the weapons to threaten law enforcement officers from the wildlife watchers and they will be prosecuted under the law.
The Office of Conservation of the Environment of the Diwan of the Royal Court affirms that the security of employees and citizens is above all else, except when criminal behavior is conducted such as felony hunting that may go beyond hunting protected animals and reach recklessness and a threat to human lives. Therefore, the Office demands the maximum punishment according to the laws.
