(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Four criminal proceedings have been registered over the illegal export of animals from the Askania Nova Biosphere Reserve, with the first episodes causing more than UAH 60 million in damages.
This was announced by the reserve’s director Viktor Shapoval during the conference “Functioning of the objects of the nature reserve fund of Ukraine under martial law: ways of restoration and development”.
“Today, the issue of unauthorized export of animals from the zoo’s collection is being worked out by the relevant law enforcement agencies. Four criminal proceedings were registered at the request of the special administration of Askania Nova. Despite the fact that this is a temporarily occupied territory, the State Ecological Inspectorate has already made the first decisions and published the official losses for the first episodes of animal export, which amount to more than UAH 60 million,” Shapoval said.
Read also: Invaders seize control over Askania -Nova nature reserve in Kherson region
He emphasized that today there are serious methodological problems with calculating the damage to the biosphere reserve because it is located in the temporarily occupied territory. At the same time, recording such crimes and calculating the losses incurred as a result of them is a very urgent matter.
“Time goes by, and unfortunately, it erases the traces of many crimes. That is why today we are recording and at the same time, based on our experience, developing recommendations for improving the legal framework for calculating losses,” Shapoval added.
As reported, 10 animals, including Przewalski’s horses, Chapman’s zebras, American bison, and deer, were illegally taken from the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve during the period of its occupation .
Photo: Facebook “Askania Nova”
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