A hunter faces up to five years in jail for killing an endangered tiger in South Africa, importing it to Slovakia and then using it to promote illegal hunting in his home country.
The man, identified as Jan. K. from the village of Ziharec in the south-western Slovakian region of Nitra, was investigated by the police when they found he was keeping a stuffed tiger at home without being able to prove how he acquired it.
The Slovakian police later posted a statement on their official Facebook page with a picture of the hunter standing over a large tiger in the wild.
The statement said that the man was found to have illegally caught and imported the exotic animal, violated various laws, and now faces up to five years in jail.
The police statement said: “(This act) violates plant and animal protection under Section 305 of the Criminal Code because he has caught the jungle tiger (Panthera tigris) for commercial purposes in South Africa contrary to Council Regulation (EC) no. 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein.”
The hunter reportedly brought the dead tiger to his home country without a permit and was keeping it at his family home in Slovakia.
The police also said that he used the stuffed tiger to promote “business activities in connection with the mediation of hunting in the Republic of South Africa”.
The Panthera tigris is the largest living cat species and listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
The biggest reasons for the population decline are habitat destruction and illegal poaching.
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Story By: Lisa-Maria Goertz, Sub-Editor: Joana Mihajlovska, Agency: Newsflash
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