Russian hunter charged for poaching a tiger
November 13, 2012
During a rare ruling this Tuesday, a hunter in the Russian Far East was sentenced with 18 months of community service and a $18,500 fine for killing a tiger. This is an unusual punishment for poaching an animal in Russia, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Even though it was unexpected, it is not unwarranted, as the hunter, Alexander Belyayev, was found guilty of killing one of the possibly 500 tigers left in the Maritime Territory and the Khabarovsk Territory, according to the media outlet.
This sentencing is considered a success to ecologists across the globe, as 30 to 50 tigers are killed each year by poachers or residents, explained Vladimir Krever, who is the head of World Wildlife Federation's Russian Biodiversity Program.
"Of dozens of cases related to tiger killings over the last three years, this is the second guilty verdict, and such a harsh one that leaves us a hope that it may serve as a good lesson to potential poachers," Krever told the news source. "Usually tigers skins and remains are found already in transit and not at the killing spot and a person caught with the remains as a rule says that he found the dead tiger in the taiga or on the side of the road and gets off free."
Since 1991, only one other person has been charged with killing a tiger. Belyayev claimed he was acting in self-defense, but it was found he killed the tiger while hunting for antelope, according to the news outlet.
Those who want to talk about the recent ruling can make calls to Russia using international calling cards.