Hunting grounds are out of bounds

THE Junta de Andalucia’s Directorate General for Management of the Environment and Protected Areas has taken the decision to revoke the permission to hunt non-native animals that it previously granted to managers of the La Zagaleta urbanisation and country club in Benahavis.

As recently reported in EWN, licences concerning the eradication of pest game species such as boar and deer had been issued in order to control the amount of damage the animals were creating in the luxury 900 hectare estate, where house prices start at an eye-popping €5 million.

However, a mysterious group of indiscriminate, unlicensed hunters has allegedly been running amok, polishing off native as well as exotic wildlife and leading a campaign group to obtain almost 15,000 signatures via a Change.org petition.

The environmental groups claimed some residents were using strategically-placed food to lure deer, even pregnant does, plus female boar and ibex [the latter of which is native and protected] with their young to trap pens concealed in the gardens of private villas.

Having assessed the situation, and noting that the urbanisation management has failed to provide a detailed by-date record of the number and species of animals killed, the Junta has now decided to axe the permits for good.