December 13, 2022

Not in the Job Description


Not in the Job Description
A sample of Yermolik's quarry: European roe deer. Wikimedia Commons, Jojo

The head of a Russian nature preserve has been detained for using his position for the opposite purpose of what was intended.

Vyacheslav Yermolik, director of the Kirzinsky Nature Reserve in Novosibirsk oblast, was arrested on December 11 for illegal hunting. Yermolik was caught when authorities discovered the carcasses of elk and roe deer only a few kilometers from the park's winter quarters.

As these animals are protected in Russia, not to mention the fact that they were in an area expressly designated for their safety, Yermolik was transported to a temporary detention facility and will soon face trial, where he could get a fine or prison time.

Surprisingly (or maybe not), Yermolik is not the first official charged with protecting wildlife to turn his back on his duty. And not the first reported by Russian Life, either.

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