TOMSK, August 26 (RAPSI) – A criminal case was launched against an unnamed resident of the Russian region of Tomsk in western Siberia after he uploaded photos of two brown bears that he killed to a social media website, the local Prosecutor’s Office reported Monday.
The photos were accompanied with a text saying that animals were killed in spring 2012. The killing is in violation of regulations limiting the hunting of bears.
He faces fines of up to 180,000 rubles (app. $5,500).
There are approximately 8,300 bears in the region. Hunting permits are issued in accordance with the size of the population of a given species. To receive a permit, one must pay a state duty of 400 rubles (approximately $12) and an additional fee of 3,000 rubles (approximately $100).