It’s open season for Aguiguan’s wild goats

Anyone who intends to set foot on Aguiguan Island are advised to wear brightly colored clothes to avoid being shot at.

This comes soon after the Division of Fish and Wildlife at the Department of Public Lands and Natural Resources declared April 17 to July 17 as open season for the hunting of wild goats.

In a public notice, Conservation Officer III Henry M. Cabrera said all interested persons who wish to hunt for the wild goats on Aguiguan must apply for a license at the division’s office on Tinian. The license costs $5 each.

“All hunters who did not submit their Hunters Report Card for Year 2001 will not be issued a license for this season,” Cabrera said.

At the same time, he stressed that hunters could only use either .22-caliber Magnums or a .22-caliber rifles as weapons for the hunt.

The season limit for each hunter will be 20, which means each licensed hunter can only catch up to 20 wild goats.

With no natural predators on the island, the wild goats have become an environmental nuisance, eating up large patches of vegetation that threaten the natural ecosystem of the island. (J. Vallejera)