The Caspian seal will not be inscribed into the Russian Red Book. And not only this species.
It is some slightly belated news – being on an expedition, we have missed it – but it is better late than never. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation dumbfounded everyone once again. Our hope for the new minister remained a hope. For the second time, this executive authority submitted the same (!) reduced list of animals to be inscribed into the Russian Red Book for open public discussions.
When this happened for the first time, scientists were amazed, outraged, expressed their concern to Minister Kobylkin D.N., and some of them even left the Commission on the Red Book at the Ministry in protest. 71 people voted for the reduced list, 1930 people – against it. But the results of this vote were ignored. ‘Well,’ officials exchanged glances, ‘let us try again.’ And the Ministry again submitted the same paper to vote, apparently hoping that all experts, uncomfortable for them, would eventually leave the Commission.
In addition to our Caspian seal, there will not be killer whales, the Himalayan bear, Caucasian red deer, European reindeer, greylag goose, and etc. in our new Red Book – more than twenty species. But it might have been two hundred and twenty. Thank God, the hunting business is interested only in these. Moreover, it is planned to exclude already inscribed (!) animals from the existing Red Book. It is noteworthy that the list of these excluded species is not being shown us. It has been simply ‘lost’! Future hunting trophies were mentioned in the explanatory note – officials decided that it would be quite enough for the ‘public’.
They are attempting ‘to starve out us’, counting on that we would get tired, fall behind, give it up, and, being at the distance, we would respectfully observe them eating up our planet. Do not stop struggling to save these animals, friends! 20 seals die in the Caspian Sea daily. Besides us, there is no one to protect the Caspian seal. Sign the petition and share it, please.
Here is a shot link to our petition: https://goo.gl/XKm1UW
The detailed information on these events:
1. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation is against rare animals: the second round.
2. Academicians appealed to Minister Kobylkin about the Red Book.
Nataliya Shumeyko,
Kaspika Caspian Seals Conservation Agency