Three suspected poachers have been arrested by resource guards of the Ankasa Conservation Area for illegally hunting wildlife in the Ayensu beat of the reserve.

The arrest took place on July 9, 2025, during a routine patrol by five guards stationed at the Dadwen Range Camp in the Ellembelle District in the Western Region.

The suspects, 36-year-old Frank Odame, 45-year-old Abraham Kwasi Sikapa, and 48-year-old George Avi, are all residents of Mumuni in the Ellembelle District and are reported to be cocoa farmers.

During the arrest, the patrol team retrieved the following from the suspects:

1. 3 unlicensed locally manufactured shotguns
2. 18 live cartridges
3. 7 flashlights
4. 3 cutlasses

These items were believed to have been used in and resulted from illegal hunting activities in the forest.

The following wildlife carcasses were found;

1. 1 Bay Duiker
2. 1 Maxwell’s Duiker
3. 5 Giant Rats

Upon arrest, the suspects allegedly offered GHC 7,000 to the patrol staff in an attempt to avoid prosecution. The guards rejected the offer and proceeded to report the incident.

All confiscated items, including the GHC 7,000, were handed over along with the suspects to the Elubo Police Station. Investigations and prosecution are ongoing under the Wildlife Resources Management Act (Act 1115).

The Ankasa Conservation Area is located in the Western Region and covers approximately 509 square kilometres. It consists of the Nini Suhien National Park and the Ankasa Resource Reserve.

The park is Ghana’s only wet evergreen rainforest under formal management and is home to a variety of endemic and threatened species. It also hosts the Amokwaw Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) and has potential for tourism development.