Пернатые хищники и их охрана (Dec 2020)
Contraband of Falcons
Abstract
In December 2018, the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court convicted seven members of a criminal group under Part 3, Article 258.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for illegal hunting and trafficking of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). On December 11, 2018, in Kamchatka (Russia), border guards, together with officers of the Regional Directorate of the Federal Security Service, during the operative actions, found one Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) in the house of a resident of the village of Ust-Bolsheretsk, as well as devices and tools for catching and keeping birds of prey, and unregistered hunting gun and ammunition for it. In July 2019, in North Ossetia (Russia), the organizer of the Kamchatka group of poachers was detained. On August 25, 2019, in the East Kazakhstan Region (Kazakhstan), two poachers were detained for catching falcons. On August 27, 2019, in the Komi Republic (Russia), a resident of Saint Petersburg was detained with two nestlings of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). . On September 18, 2019, in Aktau (Kazakhstan), a resident of Iran was detained with two Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) when passing through customs control for a flight to Abu Dhabi (UAE). On November 23, 2019, in Magadan, law enforcement officers seized three Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) from poachers, as well as devices and tools for catching birds. On December 4, 2019, in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia), three men were detained. They kept 21 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), as well as food and bird keeping devices and tools in a specially equipped garage. On December 25, 2019, in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia), officers of the Directorates of the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Kamchatka Territory brought off ten Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) ready for shipment from a dry-cargo vessel. In northeastern Iran 27 of December 2019 wildlife trafficking band was busted. Members of the band were smuggling birds of prey from Sabzevar county, northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi. According to the Press Office of the National Security Committee (NSC) of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in early February 2020, the illegal activity of several transnational groups was stopped during the law enforcement intelligence operations. In early March 2020, law enforcement officers detained a 58-year-old resident of the village of Bolshaya Irba, Kuraginsky District, Krasnoyarsk Territory (Russia), who was engaged in catching falcons. In May 2020, in Kamchatka (Russia), a court found a 50-year-old resident of the city of Elizovo guilty of illegal hunting of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). The rare birds were seized from him in December 2019. The resident of Elizovo received a suspended sentence and was compelled to pay damages. On July 13, 2020, three residents of Negev (Israel) were fined for hunting falcons. The investigation bodies of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Irkutsk Region charged five men with a crime under Part 3, Article 258.1 of the Criminal Code of the RF (illegal hunting and trafficking of especially valuable wild animals… committed by a group of persons by previous concert). In November 2020, two Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) were found in the possession of the residents of Ust-Kamenogorsk, according to the Press Office of the Police Department of the East Kazakhstan Region (Kazakhstan). In mid-November 2020, in the city of Magadan (Russia), 7 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) were seized from poachers. On November 23, 2020, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan reported the arrest of a smuggler who was trying to transport 5 falcons through the Manas airport. On December 7, 2020, in the Republic of Buryatia (Russia), hunters with 4 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) were detained. On December 24, 2020, in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia), two poachers were detained, 2 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) were seized.
