Wildlife authorities were yesterday seeking to identify a group of men who captured a Harpy Eagle – a protected species – somewhere in the interior and videoed it while it was tied up and in a state of distress.
It is unclear what became of the eagle in the end.
The Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission (GWCMC) posted the video on its Facebook page which showed four men standing around the Harpy Eagle which was on the ground with its feet tied in a forested area. The eagle was alive but based on muffled conversations between the men the bird seemed to be injured. There was also a fifth person who was videoing the incident.
“The GWCMC strongly condemns the actions portrayed in this video. According to Regulation 7 of the Wildlife Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use Regulations, the Harpy Eagle is a protected species in Guyana and it is an offence to collect, hold in captivity, hunt, kill or otherwise a protected species,” the Organisation said on its Facebook page.
Communications Officer of the GWCMC Deuel Hughes told Stabroek News yesterday that they received the video on Tuesday night and are currently investigating the matter. He noted that they posted the video on Facebook in order to gain the public’s assistance in identifying the men who are in the video.
The video attracted outrage from viewers.
Anyone with information that would assist in the investigation of the incident can contact the Commission on telephone 223-0331; 223-0939; 223-0940; 648-8839; 677-3297; 624-0049 or via email at wildlifemanagementauthority@gmail. com.
