Guide fined €1,000 after buggies found off authorised paths near Guatiza

The Cabildo has fined a guide who was working for a company that operated buggy tours in protected areas the sum of €1,000 – which will be reduced to €600 if paid within the established time limit.

Agents for the Guardia Civil’s wildlife unit, Seprona, reported the incident in January after witnessing six buggies driving off authorised pathways in the zone near the Barranco de las Piletas, near Guatiza.

When stopped, the guide initially refused to identify himself and claimed that he was using a route planned by the company, H2O Actividades Acuáticas SL. As the could provide no proof of this, the agents issued the fine to the guide personally.

The fine is less than the income made on the tour, for which clients each paid €180 for the excursion.

Seprona’s report also warned that the continued proliferation of illegal buggy excursions could affect local wildlife species such as the kestrel, the barn owl and the Egyptian vulture.