Ankasa: Three notorious poachers who were illegally hunting in the Ayensu beat of the conservation area have been arrested by forest guards. The three were apprehended by five Resource Guards of the Ankasa Forest Conservation Area stationed at the Dadwen Range Camp in the Ellembelle District. The poachers were identified as Frank Odame, aged 36 from Assin Manso in the Central Region, Abraham Kwasi Sikapa, 45 from Yilo Krobo in the Eastern Region, and George Avi, 48 from Akatsi in the Volta Region.
According to Ghana News Agency, all three individuals were residents of Mumuni, within the Ellembelle District, and reportedly engaged in cocoa farming. During the arrest, authorities retrieved several items including three unlicensed locally manufactured shotguns, 18 live cartridges, seven flashlights, and three cutlasses. Additionally, some wildlife species killed included a bay duiker, a maxwell's duiker, and five giant rats.
Mr. Bona Kyiire, the Park Manager of the Ankasa Conservation Area, stated that the arrest was made during a routine surveillance operation. He emphasized the management's intensified efforts to curb poaching and other illegal activities within the area. He revealed that upon arrest, the suspects attempted to offer GHC7,000 to the patrol team to evade prosecution; however, the officers rejected the offer and proceeded with the formal report, demonstrating integrity and commitment to conservation enforcement.
He further stated that all the poachers and their confiscated items, including the GHS7,000 amount offered, had been handed over to the Elubo Police for further investigations and prosecution. Mr. Kyiire expressed hope that this case would serve as a precedent for future enforcement actions under the Wildlife Resources Management Act (Act 1115).
Mr. Kyiire also issued a warning to miscreants, poachers, and all individuals against indulging in such illegal activities to avoid sanctions. He assured that the staff of the park are prepared to ensure that the integrity of the Ankasa Forest Conservation Area is secured and well protected, noting its status as the only wet evergreen rainforest managed by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
Furthermore, Mr. Kyiire appealed to all stakeholders to assist in the conservation of this unique landscape to transform it into a center of excellence for rainforest management in the sub-region. The Ankasa Forest Conservation Area, with a total estimated size of 509 square kilometers, comprises the Nini Suhien National Park and the Ankasa Resource Reserve. It is located in the wet evergreen tropical High Forest Zone of Western Ghana and is considered the most biodiverse protected area in the country, in an almost pristine state.
The park is home to endemic and threatened flora and fauna, such as forest elephants, bongos, and most of the primate species in Ghana. It was the first to pilot the community resource management area concept in Ghana with the establishment of the Amokwaw CREMA and holds significant potential for tourism development, benefitting its adjoining Municipal and District Assemblies and the nation at large.
