MOSCOW, (PNA/Itar-Tass) — Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved the list of precious wild animals, birds and fish, which are put on the Red Book or are protected by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, the Russian government’s website reported on Sunday.
The practice shows that the wild animals put on the Red Book are mainly exposed to poaching and smuggling (including Altai big horn, Amur tiger, leopard, snow leopard, Polar bear) and big birds of prey (saker falcon, golden eagle, gerfalcon and sapsan) as well as salmon species put on the Red Book of Russia or coming under the effect of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
In July a new article 2581 was introduced in the Russian Criminal Code that envisages criminal responsibility for poaching, keeping, acquisition, storage, transportation and sale of precious wild animals and water biological resources.