The Civil Guard investigates three individuals for using rat poison to kill rabbits in a rural area of Alicante

The Civil Guard is investigating three individuals in Alicante for using rat poison to kill rabbits. The investigation is part of Operation 'Atrax', a nationwide campaign to combat the use of poison and other prohibited hunting methods.

The extensive operational deployment carried out by the Seprona officers has reached the province of Alicante, as well as Málaga, Badajoz, Huelva, Teruel, and Cantabria. In total, 509 inspections have been conducted, resulting in the detection of 91 criminal offences and 351 administrative violations, with 665 dead animals found, some of which are protected species.

Of the 62 people arrested or investigated, three are in Alicante. The Civil Guard reports that during the inspection of the estate located in the El Bacarto area, 400 rodenticide tablets, a poison for rodents, were seized, along with nine kilograms of this stored product.

Seprona officers detected the use of this poison near rabbit burrows, where they found several carcasses of this animal, as well as a hoopoe, a protected bird. In this regard, the Civil Guard is investigating three individuals for alleged crimes against wildlife.

The extensive national operation has been carried out in various agricultural and livestock farms, tool sheds, and hunting grounds. In addition to inspections, agents have conducted 202 controls and verifications aimed at both prevention and deterrence, as well as investigating specific incidents of particular relevance.

In total, Seprona has seized 100 poisoned baits, 669 prohibited hunting methods, including 215 snares, 44 traps, and 364 ribs, perches, and tiles, as well as 230 kilos of banned phytosanitary products, commonly used to make poisons. Added to this are eight firearms and eleven prohibited hunting accessories such as night vision scopes and silencers.

Illegal practices have had "a devastating impact on wildlife," according to sources from the operation, who detail that 665 dead animals have been found, 91% of which are birds. Among the victims are specimens of protected species such as three imperial eagles (Aquila adalberti), 35 red kites (Milvus milvus), four black vultures (Aegypius monachus), and a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos).