Two arrested for poaching gazelles in Oman
Fleeing poachers were caught after their car’s tyre burst
Muscat: Environmental officers and police have caught two persons for poaching two Arabian gazelles in Mahoot province of Wusta governorate on Monday.
The two nationals shot two Arabian gazelles dead and injured another with the help of three conventional weapons, according to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs.
The wildlife rangers saw the two suspects slaughter the two gazelles before they fled the scene in their vehicle.
The rangers immediately reported that to the Royal Oman Police (ROP).
The two suspects were arrested after an intensive manhunt. “They were caught when tyres of one of the vehicles burst,” the statement said.
To hide the evidence, one of the suspects threw the two slaughtered gazelles off the car as they were being chased by the police.
Unlicensed traditional hunting guns were confiscated from the suspects.
The injured gazelle underwent medical treatment and is in a stable health condition.
Most of the hunters smuggle the Arabian gazelles outside the country dead or alive, as they make huge profits from selling them.
Under Omani laws, poachers face penalties ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 Omani riyals and imprisonment from a minimum of six months to a maximum of five years for hunting or smuggling animals.
Anyone who carries unlicensed guns could face at least a one-year jail term and a fine of 500 riyals, according to guns and ammunitions law.
Fifteen persons were arrested in 2015 for hunting gazelles and birds in the country.
