Mexican Army soldiers arrested seven men Tuesday night for allegedly poaching at least one bighorn sheep on a private ranch in Valle de la Trinidad, a rural delegation about 100 kilometers east of Ensenada at the base of the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir mountain range.
Personnel from SEDENA (Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense) apprehended the group around 10 p.m. on May 19. The seven men reportedly came from various states across Mexico, though authorities have not released their names or home states.
Protected Species in a Critical Habitat
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are a federally protected species in Mexico. The desert bighorn subspecies found in Baja California’s mountains has been the focus of decades of conservation work. Hunting the animals without proper federal permits carries serious criminal charges under Mexico’s General Wildlife Law (Ley General de Vida Silvestre), which can include prison time and steep fines.
The Sierra de San Pedro Mártir is Baja California’s highest mountain range, reaching 3,096 meters at Picacho del Diablo. The area is home to the National Astronomical Observatory and the San Pedro Mártir National Park, both of which draw visitors year-round. Valle de la Trinidad sits in the high desert foothills on the range’s eastern slope, where bighorn sheep roam the rocky terrain between the mountains and the desert floor.
A Pattern of Poaching Pressure
Legal bighorn sheep hunting does exist in parts of Mexico through highly regulated permit systems. In some regions, ranchers participate in conservation management units (UMAs) that allow limited hunts to fund habitat protection. Tags for legal hunts can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Poaching bypasses this system entirely, removing animals without population monitoring or revenue for conservation.
The arrest on a private ranch raises questions about whether the property operates as a registered UMA or whether the suspects entered the land without authorization. Authorities have not clarified that detail.
Valle de la Trinidad is familiar to travelers who use the road from Ensenada through the San Matías Pass to reach San Felipe or the national park. The area has a small population and limited law enforcement presence, making military patrols a primary tool for intercepting illegal hunting operations in the backcountry.
The case is expected to be referred to federal prosecutors, given that crimes against protected wildlife fall under federal jurisdiction in Mexico.
This story was first reported by Ensenada.net.