“Zero Tolerance”: A Buenos Aires Municipality Takes Action Against Hunters and Is Already Seizing Greyhounds

The municipality of San Antonio de Areco is moving toward an unprecedented measure in the province of Buenos Aires. After years of complaints from rural producers about hunters with greyhounds entering private land, the municipality began enforcing stricter controls, authorized the seizure of dogs used in these practices, and is working on a draft ordinance to permanently discourage this activity. The initiative follows a series of meetings between agricultural producers, municipal authorities, the Rural Patrol, and officials from the Buenos Aires Ministry of Security. “Behind the complaint lies a problem that, according to local producers, has been recurring for years and generates conflicts related to trespassing on private property, animal abuse, and the use of police resources to address recurring situations.” Estanislao Campos, president of the Regional Association of Agricultural Producers (ARPA), explained to LA NACION that they had long been requesting concrete measures to address the problem. «Мы уже давно обращались через местного мэра с просьбой решить проблему с охотниками на хорьков», — отметил он. «По его словам, случаи незаконного проникновения на сельские участки происходили в основном по выходным и вынуждали постоянно привлекать к делу сельскую патрульную службу». «Мы понимали, что тратим весь бензин патруля, который можно было бы использовать для более серьезных, важных задач, таких как кража, нападение или эвакуация человека с поля в дождливый день», — заявил он. «Кампос утверждал, что эта ситуация превратила район в излюбленное место охотников из соседних населенных пунктов. «Они приезжали из Барадеро, Сарате, Сан-Андрес-де-Хилес и Капитан-Сармьенто. Мы были охотничьим угодьем этого района», — описал он. «В связи с этой ситуацией фермеры и местные власти обратились с этой проблемой к правительству провинции Буэнос-Айрес. «Мы провели встречу с Секретариатом безопасности провинции, который согласился со всеми нашими доводами», — отметил он. Среди приведенных аргументов были нарушение частной собственности, отсутствие санитарного контроля над животными, используемыми для охоты, и риски, связанные с неоднократным проникновением посторонних лиц на сельскохозяйственные объекты. «По словам Кампоса, одним из аспектов, вызывающих наибольшую озабоченность, является то, что охотники в конечном итоге знают обычные маршруты передвижения по полям и тех, кто на них работает». Following that discussion with provincial authorities, progress was made on new enforcement measures. “It was decided that citations would be issued and documentation for the dogs would be requested,” he explained. “The measure was first put into practice last weekend.” According to the rural leader, personnel from the Rural Prevention Command (CPR) intercepted a pickup truck that had entered a farm and proceeded to seize the animals used for hunting. “A pickup truck that was inside a field was seized, and the dogs were removed,” he reported. The animals were handed over to the Corazón Vagabundo Foundation, dedicated to the rescue and protection of dogs. “The animal is not returned to them,” Campos emphasized. “For producers, the procedure constitutes a significant precedent. “We are already setting a precedent so they don’t come back to this district,” he stated. “Although there is not yet a specific ordinance, the official explained that a political decision has already been made to move forward in that direction. “An ordinance hasn’t been issued yet, but there is already a decision from the municipal Security Secretariat allowing for the seizure of the dogs and the issuance of a citation,” he indicated. “The intention is for the City Council to consider regulations that would consolidate various infractions associated with these practices.” “The idea would be to pass a resolution through the City Council and consolidate all these violations into a single offense: trespassing on private property, driving and hunting without a permit, animal cruelty, and other related issues,” he explained. “For their part, the Rural Patrol noted that the operation marked an unprecedented milestone in the jurisdiction. In a statement, CPR authorities noted: “Today we mark a milestone for this Rural Patrol, led by Chief Officer Peralta and Deputy Chief Inspector Diaz, as well as for the Mercedes Judicial Branch. We are the first to carry out actions of this kind and to seize the dogs used for such activities.” “Furthermore, they emphasized that the goal is to establish a zero-tolerance policy toward such conduct. “We have set a precedent by enforcing zero tolerance against hunters who come to this jurisdiction to engage in these activities,” they stated. Mayor Francisco Ratto (JxC) also took a strong stance against hunting with greyhounds. “As a municipality, we are completely opposed to hunting with greyhounds for various reasons,” he stated. “Among them, he cited animal cruelty, trespassing on private property, and the damage that dogs can cause to productive activities: ‘We do not support hunting in our district.’” The mayor warned that the presence of dogs chasing animals can cause stampedes, broken fences, damage to herds, and harm to livestock, agricultural, and horse breeding operations. He also confirmed that the municipality formally requested that the province include it in the hunting ban. “We are asking to be included in the provincial hunting ban, meaning that hunting would be prohibited in San Antonio de Areco,” he noted. As work on the draft ordinance progresses, producers, local authorities, and law enforcement agencies have agreed on a common goal: to make San Antonio de Areco one of the first municipalities in Buenos Aires Province to comprehensively discourage the activities of dog hunters through penalties, the seizure of animals, and stronger legal tools to address these practices."