The Cabildo of Lanzarote has formally requested the declaration of hunting emergency in "certain agricultural farms" of the municipalities of Tías, Yaiza and Tinajo, with the aim of "controlling the overpopulation of species such as the red-legged partridge, whose presence is causing significant damage to sweet potato crops", they have stated.
The decision is based on reports prepared by the Agriculture Area of the Cabildo, which confirm losses in agricultural production reaching up to 15% in some plots. In the cases of Tías and Tinajo, farmers have stated that the affectations "are caused by partridges that frequent the areas, while in Yaiza damages compatible with the action of rodents or rabbits were identified".
Given the difficulty in authorizing hunting in areas near homes, the Cabildo has developed "an action protocol that contemplates selective capture using Tomahawk-type traps, in order to transfer the specimens to non-agricultural areas where they do not pose a threat to production".
“We are making decisions based on technical criteria and with the responsibility that the defense of our territory and our farmers requires”, said the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort. “From the first moment we have requested reports from the competent areas and we have studied structural measures, such as the extension of hunting days, which allow a more effective control of the hunting population in Lanzarote and La Graciosa”, he explained.
For his part, the Councilor for Hunting and the Environment, Samuel Martín, has indicated that this action is the result of rigorous technical work that responds to the urgency of the moment, but also to a structural problem that affects agricultural soils. He added that “we are in permanent contact with hunting groups, whose collaboration is key to moving towards sustainable management of the rural environment.”
Likewise, he has pointed out that the control will be carried out exclusively by authorized personnel and in coordination with the environmental agents of the Cabildo and will have a daily monitoring system of the traps to guarantee animal welfare and the effectiveness of the measure. “It is expected that the actions will begin once the relevant authorizations have been obtained from the Government of the Canary Islands”, he advanced.
The requested declaration of hunting emergency is based on article 26 of Law 7/1998 on Hunting in the Canary Islands, which empowers the island councils to intervene in situations of overabundance of hunting species that represent a risk to agriculture. The technical plan includes the capture of up to 30 specimens per zone, which will be previously evaluated by veterinarians to guarantee their good health before proceeding with their transfer.
