Threat is real: Director of Askania-Nova nature reserve on likelihood of Russians exporting animals

The threat of the export of animals from the Askania-Nova nature reserve, located in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, is quite real. However, such actions have not been noticed so far.

Source: Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve named after Friedrich-Jacob Eduardovych Falz-Fein on Facebook after the National Resistance Center reported about the export of animals to the Krasnodar Safari Park on 6 November. They noted that this is happening within the framework of the so-called "cooperation agreement" with the occupation administration.

However, the director of Askania-Nova denied this information. He says this is not the first "agreement on creative cooperation and exchange of animals". In August 2023, the occupation administration also signed contracts with the Rostov Nature Reserve, the Wildlife of the Steppe Association and the Rostov-on-Don Zoo.

Also in October, the self-proclaimed director Mescheryakov signed an agreement with the Yalta Zoo. It involves the exchange of such rare animal species as Przewalski's horse, Saiga antelope and Turkmenian kulan. This violates the Convention on International Trade in endangered wild fauna and flora species.

At the same time, Shapoval emphasises that "no actual movement of animals from Askania-Nova has occurred to date". 

"As a result, the situation with the signed agreements is nothing more than a cynical attempt to legitimise the next "exchange" of stolen animals by concluding an official document. But this does not change the essence of the problem and the status of animals – they remain stolen. And it does not change the criminal status of the signatories. However, based on the realities, it is necessary to prepare for losses with a cool head, and the need for the next restoration of infrastructure and collections,"  the director said. 

He says the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and law enforcement agencies were informed about this situation.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made proposals on the mandate of the UNESCO monitoring mission for access and control over the occupied protected areas.

Background: Earlier, a UNESCO mission to record cultural monuments destroyed by Russians was launched in Chernihiv.

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