The massacre of 540 animals killed by Spanish hunters outraged Portugal

It is a revolting environmental scandal that unfolded in Portugal: nearly 540 animals were slaughtered during a hunting trip in Lisbon. Faced with the indignation of the public and activists, the Portuguese public prosecutor’s office decided to open an investigation into this event, which was qualified as an “environmental crime” by the public prosecutor.

A massacre whose authors bragged on social networks

About 540 animals – mainly wild boars, fallow deer and deer – were killed during a hunting party led by 16 individuals. This terrible event took place in Quinta da Torre Bela, a tourist hunting ground of 1000 hectares in Azambuja. The animals were thus trapped in one of the largest fortified farms in Europe. According to the local weekly Espresso, the hunt was organized by the company specializing in hunting Monteros de La Cabra on December 17 and 18. The Spanish hunters would have paid 8,000 euros each to participate in the hunting party.

The massacre became known to the public after one of the hunters bragged about his ” feat ” on Facebook. In a publication that appealed to Internet users, the hunter wrote ” 540 animals with 16 hunters in Portugal, a record during a super beat “. This legend was accompanied by a revolting image showing dozens of dead animals lined up on the ground. If hunting is indeed authorized in Portugal, this is only so when it concerns a small number of slaughtered animals. In this case, the beating was illegal as much of the deer in the area was killed, reported BBC.

Faced with this revolting incident, the Portuguese authorities were quick to react. The Minister of the Environment of Portugal, João Fernandes, in particular declared that this massacre was ” an act of hatred ” and one ” unacceptable environmental crime Which should be punished. ” We must take action on the indiscriminate killing of animals. It has nothing to do with hunting, it is a massacre aimed at the destruction of biodiversity and ecosystems “, Added the ministry in a press release.

An environmental crime that raises a lot of questions

In addition to these statements, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Portugal in collaboration with the National Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) opened an investigation into the illegal acts linked to this massacre. ” There is strong evidence of a crime against wildlife preservation The organization said in a statement, relating to the said investigation. ICNF also added that it had no prior knowledge of this illegal hunt and was only subsequently informed via social media, reported Mail Online.

An investigation into what will happen to animals that were killed during the hunting party has also been launched. In addition, the ICNF has decided to suspend the permit for the Torre Bela hunting area until further notice. Faced with the scandal, the officials of Torre Bela justified themselves by declaring that he was not responsible for the “illegitimate” manner in which this fight had taken place on his land. Finally, the controversy is such that the study of the environmental impact of a project to build a solar power plant in the region has been suspended. This stems from the rumor that the absence of animals in the area would make it easier to obtain a building permit for the plant.