On May 16, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. A resident of Orsha district faces up to six years of imprisonment for killing a brown bear. This was announced today at a press conference by Vladimir Shalukhin, Head of the Investigative Committee Department for Vitebsk Region, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. The carcass of a young female bear was found in late January by a gamekeeper of one of the forestry enterprises in the Sennensky district forest, bordering the Orsha district. The animal, which is listed in the Red Book of Belarus, was killed near its den. According to Vladimir Shalukhin, the investigation of this criminal case was extremely complex, and various versions were explored. "By analyzing telephone conversations and employing well-designed interrogation tactics, we were able to identify a hunter from Orsha district who, during poaching, having a license only for hunting even-toed ungulates, killed the bear," said the Head of the Department. It was established that the man deliberately roused the bear from hibernation with the help of dogs and drove it into a trap. After killing the animal, he panicked, called his friends, who helped remove the bullet and conceal the traces of the crime. Then, the perpetrator, known for being a good hunter, posed as an active assistant to the forestry enterprise and the investigation. Evidence of the hunter's guilt is available. He has already compensated for the damage caused, amounting to about Br10 million. In accordance with Part 4 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code "Illegal Hunting," he faces a penalty of imprisonment for up to six years. In 2011, the Vitebsk Regional Inspectorate of Fauna and Flora identified over 2.5 thousand poachers who violated hunting and fishing rules and illegally felled trees. The total damage to nature from their unlawful actions exceeded Br2.3 billion. 142 criminal cases were initiated against poachers. As reported by the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, according to the results of last year's surveys in Vitebsk Region, the population of the main species of game animals was: elk - 7908 individuals, deer - 1138, wild boar - 17581, roe deer - 12861 individuals. The population of undesirable species was: wolf - 203 individuals, fox - 6673, and raccoon dog - 5297 individuals. The Red Book of Belarus includes: badger - 851 individuals, bear - 107, and lynx - 330 individuals. -0-

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