Formosa: Justice sentenced poachers of jaguars to two years in prison with immediate effect.

The justice system condemned those responsible for the crime, who had claimed their innocence, killed, dismembered, and consumed the meat of a jaguar, a species that holds the declaration of National Natural Monument.

This Wednesday, four poachers of jaguars received a sentence of two years of effective imprisonment for having killed a jaguar in July 2024, in the town of Estanislao del Campo in Formosa.

The defendants reached an agreement with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the plaintiff parties that will allow them to obtain special permits to work.

Immediately after the ruling of the Federal Court No. 1 of Formosa, under the direction of Judge Pablo Morán, they were arrested to begin serving their sentence.

The judicial process, which took place as a historic expedited trial and began this Tuesday, was promoted by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the complainants of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Administration of National Parks, and the Yaguareté Network Foundation.

The convicted individuals, who admitted to having committed the crime, are Viterman Ponce de León, 37 years old; Walter Hugo Ponce de León, 44 years old; Claudio Hugo Cisneros, 29 years old; and Máximo Cisneros, 60 years old.

The event for which they were tried took place between June and July of the previous year and generated widespread social condemnation.

The outrage was not only due to the jaguar poachers but also to the fact that they consumed its meat, sold its skin, and posted images of the act on their social networks.

Before the trial, in an interview with the press, Claudio Cisneros, one of the implicated individuals, had commented on the incident: “We are not jaguar poachers. We killed the animal and then ate it; it was not a trophy as it has been said. We never knew that the jaguar was so protected. We had no idea… But we had to make a decision, it was the life of the animal or ours.”

The hunters photographed the slain animal[/caption>

However, Article 25 of the Wildlife Conservation Law establishes that if the hunting of an animal is carried out in an organized manner, with the participation of three or more people, or using weapons, the penalty can be up to three years of imprisonment.

The Judge highlighted to the Formosa News Agency the fundamental importance of “making this case known to the entire population,” and emphasized “how crucial it is for everyone the conservation of the environment and the non-destruction of our ecosystem.”

“The existence of the jaguar and its preservation are synonymous with the health of the entire ecosystem,” he stated. And added, “It is necessary to protect the entire ecosystem, prevent the predation of other species, our rivers, and especially the illegal deforestation of our forests.”

“This is the first time in over 20 years and 75 cases that we have managed to reach this judicial instance,” highlighted Nicolás Lodeiro Ocampo, founder and director of the Yaguareté Network Foundation, in statements to a radio station. This organization acts as a plaintiff in the case, together with the National Parks Administration and the State Prosecutor’s Office of Formosa.

How the jaguar was killed in Formosa

The events took place in the area between the towns of Ibarreta and Estanislao del Campo, in the west of the province of Formosa.

The incident was triggered by the disappearance of a dairy cow. Máximo Cisneros, the owner of the field where the cattle was located, requested the help of Walter Hugo Ponce de León, Viterman Ponce de León, and Claudio Cisneros, three laborers who were dedicated to boundary marking and fence cleaning tasks in the region.

The four men found a jaguar next to the dead animal. According to their account, their dogs attacked the felid, but it killed them.

“It started to attack us. It killed two dogs. It crushed them,” narrated Viterman, one of the convicts. At that moment, Claudio Cisneros shot it. Later, they dismembered it, cooked it, and took pictures with the corpse. The animal’s skin was never found and is believed to have been sold.

The hunters took pictures with the jaguar’s corpse

The images reached the hands of Ana Magdalena Gutiérrez, representative of the Chaco Subcommission for the Conservation of the Jaguar and titular representative before the General Committee of Management Yaguareté of the National Plan for the Conservation of the Natural Monument Jaguar (PNCMNY), who proceeded to report the incident.

Although the defense of the accused argued that the men killed the animal out of fear and in self-defense, the reality is that there