A poaching gang accused of slaughtering protected Spanish ibex and hacking off their heads for trophies has been busted in Malaga province.
Three men are under investigation after Guardia Civil officers smashed what they say was an organised operation targeting prized male mountain goats in the stunning Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs and the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park.
The case – dubbed Operation Venatus – began after walkers and wildlife lovers repeatedly stumbled across decapitated ibex in the protected beauty spot that straddles Malaga and Granada.
According to investigators, the suspects struck at dusk during mating season, using the rugged terrain as cover.
Their targets were not random animals, but large, mature males aged between 12 and 16 – considered vital for the species’ genetic strength.
The method was to shoot the animal, cut off its head and take the horns as a trophy.
During a night-time stakeout in the Maro area, officers swooped and stopped the suspects. Inside their vehicle they allegedly found a dismantled precision rifle hidden in a backpack – a discovery that confirmed suspicions this was no one-off hunt.
Investigators believe the group tried to cover their tracks by using hunting permits from estates outside the natural park and even outside Malaga province. If stopped, they could claim the animals had been legally shot elsewhere.
But officers say the evidence tells a different story. With help from rangers at the Andalusian Hunting Reserve, they concluded the men were operating illegally inside the protected Natura 2000 zone, failing to file mandatory reports and allegedly falsifying paperwork to disguise the true origin of the trophies.
The case has now been handed to Malaga’s Environmental Prosecutor, and authorities are seeking to strip the three suspects of their firearms licences.
The Guardia Civil warned that poaching in protected areas is not just illegal, but also threatens the survival of one of southern Spain’s most iconic species.
The Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs, where the mountains plunge dramatically into the Mediterranean, are famous for sightings of wild ibex perched on rocky outcrops.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
