The direction on wildlife protection and management of protected areas of Primorsky Krai with the support of the Amur Tiger Center continues active work on preventing poaching.
"The main task of any security agency is to prevent violations. Working on the sequences is a secondary matter. Preventive measures aimed at shaping people's understanding of the inevitability of punishment for the illegal killing of animals should serve as an incentive to conduct proper hunting and prevent poaching, - says Sergey Aramilev, director of the Primorsky branch of the Amur Tiger Center – Indicators of operational groups’ performance during spring hunting season show positive changes in establishing order in wildlife protection, but this is only the first step of a long journey. If people are aware that any of their offenses, even with regard to small animals, will be suppressed, then many will not raise a hand to commit a crime against ungulates or Amur Tiger, since the punishment for them is much harsher. "
Currently in Primorsky Krai the hunting supervision structure is completing reorganization. 24 people from the Department of Hunting Control of Primorsky Krai were transferred to work in the structural unit of the Department of the Regional State Budget Institution "Primorsky Administration of protected natural territories. In early April the institution changed its name to the Directorate of Wildlife and Natural Territories Protection. 4 operational units are currently being formed as a part of the Directorate, with two raid groups in each (a total of 24 inspectors). In addition, 26 inspectors in a structure of the Directorate ensure the protection of 11 PAs of regional importance and adjacent territories.
"One of the most important means of prevention and successful fight against violators of the hunting rules is an explanatory and educational work among hunters and other citizens carried out by the Directorate inspectors with the help of the press, - says Oleg Shorskin, director of the Regional State Budget Institution Primorsky Administration of protected natural territories. – When protecting hunting grounds one have to deal with people of different age, character, education and employment status. They may have committed a violation of hunting regulations for the first time or may be systematically involved in poaching. Special attention is paid to those who have repeatedly violated the hunting rules or committed serious offenses (poaching on ungulates in particular). Our inspectors and the law are ruthless to such poachers. Recent legislative measure in the form of deprivation of the right to hunt is a good deterrent for hunters."
There are 18 inspectors in the Department whose spectrum is even wider. In addition to the control and supervision activities in the field of wildlife, they are assigned to:
- work with the users of hunting grounds, law enforcement agencies and authorities;
- monitoring of wildlife populations and their habitats status.
There is also a group for the settlement of conflicts with large carnivores, including the Amur tiger. The task of the group is responding to any signals of citizens on the appearance of large carnivores near settlements and the emergence of other conflicts.
"Creation of a special group at the Department of hunting supervision of Primorsky Krai to resolve conflicts was dictated by a necessity, - says Vladimir Vasiliev, Director of the Department of hunting supervision of Primorsky Krai. - In contrast to other regions of the Russian Federation, the fauna of Primorsky Krai is represented by the widest species diversity among large terrestrial mammals (there are six kinds of large predators alone), which means that a man and wild animals will cause antagonistic effects on each other. The group in the Department was created to fix that effects with minimum damage to both sides. Their work is not only to prevent threats to the health and life of humans, but also animals. Thanks to the team more than one life of the Amur tiger was saved."
In total, the service of hunting supervision is provided by 70 inspectors who work every day for the preservation of the unique nature of the Far East - the habitat of the Amur tiger.