8 December, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Commissions for rendering assistance to wild animals in distress have commenced their work in all districts and cities of the Vitebsk region, as reported to BELTA correspondent Vasily Kirpichenok, Deputy Head of the State Control Department for the Protection and Use of Land, Forests, Fauna and Flora, Specially Protected Territories, and Waste Management of the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. The environmental protection services initiated the establishment of these commissions. Ecologists explain the necessity for their formation by the fact that situations where wild animals and birds find themselves in emergencies in large settlements are not uncommon in the region. In Vitebsk alone, several instances of elk appearing on busy highways and even within enterprise premises were recorded this year. Typically, animals enter the city during spring migrations. With the onset of winter, calls regarding freezing waterfowl are increasingly received. There are also situations where people rescue an injured animal or an orphaned cub and nurse them. However, after this, the animal can no longer inhabit natural conditions and needs to be relocated somewhere. District and city commissions have been established to address these issues. Their composition includes representatives from environmental protection services, forestry enterprises, inspectorates for the protection of flora and fauna, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, veterinarians, and representatives of local authorities. An action algorithm for services and units to provide assistance to animals has been developed. The commission telephone numbers are publicly available on the website of the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.-0-

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