RESIDENTS and members of theNatural Resource Vigilance Committee(COVIRENAS) in the southern Pacificport town of Golfito announced this weekthat “unscrupulous” persons have dramaticallyincreased illegal hunting in theregion’s protected zones recently.Alcid Parajeles, a resident of Pavoncitode Osa, on the Osa Peninsula, saidhunting brigades are entering the protectedareas to kill highly endangeredjaguars and white-lipped peccaries, LaNación reported.Corcovado National Park is one of theareas that have been hardest hit by thepoaching problem (TT, March 19). A studyusing camera traps recently conducted byEduardo Carrillo of the UniversidadNacional showed that the jaguar populationin the park dropped from 150 in 1994 tojust 30 now.
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