Muscat: A number of citizens have been arrested for violating wildlife laws and hunting mountain gazelles.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, the arrested have been referred to the public prosecution after confiscating the gazelles and arms used in the poaching.
The arrests were made by Wildlife Protection units in the ministry in coordination with the Royal Oman Police and Environment Conservation Office of the Royal Court.
The ministry, in the statement, appealed to citizens as well as residents in Oman not to violate the laws on wildlife and nature reserves.
“The Ministry is also keen to keep the Omani environment and preserve the natural resources to develop and sustain these resources”, it said.
There have been several reports of poaching gazelles in Oman despite warnings from the authorities.
Hunting or smuggling of gazelles, Oryx and deer from nature reserves is a crime punishable by imprisonment of five years and a fine of RO 5,000.
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