MOSCOW, March 3 (RAPSI) - About a hundred animals, including monkeys, pythons and iguanas, illegally kept by owners in Moscow were confiscated last year, Anton Kulbachevsky, Head of the Moscow Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, reported Monday.

“In 2013, we continued to closely monitor pet shops, zoos, markets, hunting shops and dolphinariums to reveal any cases of illegal trafficking of animals on the list of endangered animals and of animals protected by the CITES convention. Violators are currently involved in administrative cases. Around 100 animals have been confiscated, including monkeys, pythons, iguanas and chameleons,” Kulbachevsky said at a meeting of the departmental board.

He added that the animals had been confiscated while their owners, individuals and also several companies were charged with administrative liability. The fines for all the court rulings, both enforced and waiting to be enforced, exceeded one million rubles ($27,636).

Also, according to Kulbachevsky, for the first time in Moscow legal practice, the courts took administrative action against companies involved in the illegal trade of stuffed animals from the CITES list.