The Council of Mallorca says that it will put an end to illegalities related to the hunting of the Boc Balear, the Mallorcan wild goat.
The new director for hunting, Sebastià Perelló, has been in office only a few days. The Council points out that big game hunting is highly regulated, while Perelló says that there is "a minority" who break the rules.
There are two issues. One has to do with theft of the animals, a consequence - it is being suggested - of the increase in the number of fincas that have Council authorisation for Boc hunting. There are now thirteen whereas there were only six three years ago. Allied to this is the value. While many people find the whole idea of hunting abhorrent, hunters are willing to pay up to 5,000 euros per goat.
There are demands for increased inspections by the Council and for the establishment of a specific department to regulate everything related to big game hunting.
The other issue is hunting where there is no Council authorisation. This is controlled by the Council and the penalties can be severe. A worry is that the species will be threatened, its origins dating back some 4,500 years, which was when goats were introduced to Mallorca.
A report that was published five years ago stated that the presence of the Boc helps to maintain plant diversity in Mallorca. By feeding on the most abundant plants, others plants are allowed to proliferate, thereby increasing the richness of plants on the island.
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Well unfortunately not only is much of the hunting legal, this country is actually promoting hunting as a tourist attraction. And, to make matters worse, the politician in charge of potentially protecting these unique and beautiful creatures, is actually a recent advocate for a hunting group. Thank you Vox. They have no hope.
"Council will clamp down on illegal hunting of the Mallorcan wild goat". Does anybody really believe this? What a joke. The killing of this noble animal should be illegal no matter what.