Wild Animals Preservation Law

This Law establishes the Wild Animals Preservation Advisory Commission whose duty is to advise and to make recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture on all matters relating to the animals in the State. The Law starts off by prohibiting the hunting of animals without licence first obtained, and makes provisions for related provisions like the hunting of immature, or female animals, and it further lists animals protected from being hunted. A contravention of these provisions gives rise to a penalty and imprisonment. The Law further prohibits the illegal taken of trophies under certain exceptions and totally prohibits the possession of powdered rhinoceros horns; trophies are to be possessed only with the permission in writing of an administrative officer. The prohibitions are not to apply to animals killed in self defence or the taking of the produce of animals found dead. For fishes specifically, the Law forbids the killing of fishes with poisons, chemicals dynamites and other explosives. The Law generally prohibits any methods of killing animals which are destructive, for instance destroying the habitats. The Law gives the Commissioner for Agriculture the power to declare game reserve and define or alter limits for game reserves. The Law provides that the offences contained within are to be tried summarily.