Occupiers have illegally removed animals from Askania-Nova nature reserve
The occupying administration of the Askania-Nova biosphere nature reserve in Kherson Oblast has illegally transported Red Book-listed animals to Russia.
Source: Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine
Details: Strilets said the occupiers reported that they have conducted an illegal exchange between the Askania-Nova biosphere nature reserve, the Rostov nature biosphere reserve in Russia, and Living Nature of the Steppe, a Russian association that seeks to conserve and revive rare and endangered animals.
Quote from Strilets: "The occupiers have taken away several Chapman’s zebras, American bison, Przewalski’s horses and Père David’s deer."
The Environment Minister stated that all these species are registered in the Red Book and are on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The animals are listed as "Extinct in the Wild", "Endangered" and "Near Threatened".
"Animals such as elands, domestic yaks, Bactrian camels and one guanaco have been brought to the Askania-Nova Zoo to replace them," he added.
The Ministry of Environment is now preparing notes for the secretariats of environmental conventions: the Bern, Ramsar, UNESCO and Bonn Conventions and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Background: The director of Askania-Nova warned in November 2023 that the threat of animals being removed from the nature reserve was real.
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