Contraband of Falcons

Abstract

According to the criminal proceeding in smuggling of falcons, former employees of the Line Internal Affairs Department in MIA transport, working in Domodedovo airport, were sentenced to large fines - A. Kurokhtin, D. Gorodenko and A. Kustov, as was reported in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on 19.06.2013. Inspectors of the State Committee for the wild life protection together with employees of the MIA of Khakassia on 15.09.2013 detained two individuals engaged in illegal catching of falcons. On 04.11.2013 in Buryatia perpetrator, which transported 16 falcons, was arrested. On the road Khabarovsk-Chita in the vicinity of the village Nikolayevka in Jewish Autonomous Region (Russia) police seized 21 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), which on 26.11.2013 was reported in STRBC “Dalnevostochnaya”. In the village Lesnoi of Yelizovo district in the Kamchatka Region on 29.11.2013, police arrested two men and seized eight Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). One Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) seized on 12.12.2013 in the village Staroaleyskoe of Tretyakovo district of the Altai Kray (Russia). On 24.12.2013 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) the police, together with colleagues from the regional FSSD seized 13 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) from two residents of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. On 15.01.2014 in Kamchatka, the 51-year-old resident of the village of Nagorny in Yelizovski District, which kept 8 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) in the garage at his house land plot, was arrested. Prosecution office of Tarbagatay district of East Kazakhstan region (Kazakhstan) together with the police and the authorities for the wild life protection found 7 Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) on 06.08.2014. At security control point “Ak-tilek - roadway" (Kazakhstan) on 29.08.2014 border guards together with employees of the State Customs Service apprehended a citizen of Kazakhstan, who tried to take from Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan 3 young Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug). Supervisors of safety department in Khakassky Reserve prevented the catching of Saker Falcons on the territory of SPNR in Ust-Abakan District on 30.08.2015. In forest-line near Chernogorsk, Republic of Khakassia (Russia) employees of the State Committee for wildlife and environment protection found 9 Saker Falcons caught by poachers on 09.09.2014. On 18.09.2014 as a result of operational search activities, employees of Altai Customs and Border Service of FSS of RF in Altai Kray prevented an attempt of illegal export of 18 falcons from Russia via the Republic of Kazakhstan. On 26.09.2014 at “Vnukovo” airport employees of the FCS of Russia prevented smuggling of 4 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), but also identified two customs officials who assisted smugglers and moved alive goods without customs control. On October 23, 2014 in the Sanctuary of rare birds “Altai-Falcon” (Barnaul, the Altai Kray, Russia) 10 falcons were released. On 27.10.2014 employees of Domodedovo Customs terminated an attempt of illegal export of 5 falcons from Russia to Armenia. On 10.30.2014 in Kamchatka officers of the Criminal Investigation Office of Milkovsky Department seized two Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) from poachers. On 02.11.2014 border guards of Kamchatka detained intercoastal ship, where was found hold to transport falcons. On 07.11.2014 batch of 6 falcons was detained by STSI inspectors in Slavgorod in the Altai Kray (Russia) at Kazakhstan customs and gave a carrier to border guards. On 05.12.2014 in Chelyabinsk Airport a group of people trying to smuggle 3 Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) from Russia to Armenia, was detained. On 11.12.2014 in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) 28 Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) were released, they were seized from poachers. On 12.16.2014 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) 47-year-old citizen was seized two Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). On 12.27.2014 in Moscow suburbs (Russia), a female Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) was found. In January 2015 two suitcases were found in the toilet in Moscow Sheremetyevo airport, where were 8 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). On 02.04.2015 the Sanctuary of rare birds “Altai-Falcon” (Barnaul, the Altai Territory, Russia) released 14 falcons (7 Saker Falcons Falco cherrug and 7 Peregrine Falcons F. peregrinus), confiscated in autumn 2014. On July 8, 2015 at the “Domodedovo” airport a Bulgarian citizen, who found 25 eggs of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), was detained. On 08.09.2015 on the territory of the cluster in Khakassky State Nature Reserve “Kamyzyakskaya steppe with lake Ulug Kohl” (Khakassia), two citizens of Syria and one native of Azerbaijan were take while attempting to catch falcons. On 11.09.2015 at Domodedovo airport staff of Rosselkhoznadzor suspended clearance of 8 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), which was brought to Moscow from the United Arab Emirates. On 18.09.2015 as a result of joint operational-search activities, officers of Altai Customs and Border Service of Russian FSS prevented an attempt of illegal export of 14 falcons from Russia to Kazakhstan. On 14.09.2015 24 Falcons were found during the check of flight № FDV-738 “Shymkent – Dubai” (Karavan.kz). Four members of the organized criminal group, involved in smuggling of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), were detained at a Moscow airport “Sheremetyevo” on 17.10.2015. Belgorod custom officers were not allowed to take 8 Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) out of Russia on 20.10.2015. On 10.11.2015 Gosohotsluzhba of The Zabaikalsky Kray (Russia) in cooperation with the police in Chernyshevsky District of the Zabaikalsky Kray detained a group of six foreigners (Syrians, Kurds, Azerbaijanian) for illegal catching of falcons. On 20.11.2015 in Kamchatka officers of the Criminal Investigation of Kamchatka Police together with colleagues from the FSS regional department detained a resident of Apuka village of Olyutorsky district, which was seized nine Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). On November, 2015 in Kamchatka two criminal cases were initiated on the illegal transport and keeping of gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). On November, 2015 in Kamchatka two criminal cases were initiated on the illegal transport and keeping of gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). On 03.12.2015 in Kamchatka transport police prevented the export of 3 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) by flight to Khabarovsk. On 21.12.2015 in Kamchatka a Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) was withdrawn from a resident of Oktybrski village of Ust-Bolsheretsky district.

Keywords

• raptors
• birds of prey