Ecological Watch: Around "hunting" in Caucasian reserve unhealthy agiotage

 inflames  
15.7.2009

Sennaya-Polyana

The fact of detention on July, 5th 2009 in the Caucasian reserve of a group of persons with fire-arms among which there was the prime minister of Adygeya Republic Murat Kumpilov, became during the last days one of the central themes for the mass media. However description of the problem by some mass-media, unfortunately, mismatches the events taken place.

In their pursuit of sensation some mass-media used open distortion of the facts. In particular, in the today's number of the newspaper "Komsomol Pravda on Kuban" it was published the article of correspondent Vladimir Olin "Adygeyan officials taken poaching" in which he informed that the coordinator of the Ecological Watch across Northern Caucasus Andrey Rudomakha had ostensibly declared the newspaper the following: "We quite often have to catch inveterate poachers but the fact that officials were illegally in the territory of the specially protected zone was for the first time; we have detained thirteen persons among which there was the prime minister of Adygeya Murat Kumpilov, as well as his brother - the deputy minister of the republican finance". The publication has unreliable information. Neither Andrey Rudomakha, nor some other representative of the Ecological Watch did participated in detention of the group of persons in the Caucasian reserve on July, 5th. In general the Ecological Watch can not "catch inveterate poachers" as, being a public organization, it has no any powers for that. Everything told by the correspondent of "Komsomol Pravda on Kuban" is a fruit of his imagination, but what for had he decided to enclose it into the lips of the representative of the Ecological Watch? Thus, not having tried to communicate with him at all to get some personal comments if there was such a necessity.

What the Ecological Watch wished to tell about the events taken place in the reserve by shelter "Fisht", was published in its press release from July, 8th 2009. Since then, its representatives did not inform correspondents of the mass-media anything essentially new. Free interpretations by some mass-media of the information stated in that press release, is entirely on conscience of the correspondents of these mass-media.

If someone would like to get the additional trustworthy information about the events, the Ecological Watch advises to address to the publications on this theme in "Kommersant" for 7/10/2009 and "Russian Newspaper" for 7/14/2009.

As a whole, the Ecological Watch across Northern Caucasus would like to underline that around of the question some unhealthy agiotage similar to "yellow press" within the limits of which the problem is inflated till the sizes mismatching its scale has inflamed. Comparisons of the fact taken place in the Caucasian reserve having wide circulation, with poaching hunting of the officials in Altai that led to killing wild animals and people crashing are absolutely not pertinent. In this case the hunting did not cause a practical damage to the natural system of the Caucasian reserve. There is only the critical fact of that the officials of the high ranks, on duty of their servicing obliged to observe strictly the law, had neglected the requirements of the law and had illegally appeared in the territory of the reserve with fire-guns. And the fact should get the objective legal estimation. The Ecological Watch achieves it, hoping, that the case would induce the power structures of Adygeya to concern more validly to the mode of protection of the Caucasian reserve.

The unhealthy agiotage inflamed around the detention in the Caucasian reserve of the group of persons led by the prime minister of Adygeya, looks especially strange on the background of that there are much more serious facts of infringements in the territory of the republic which concern the Caucasian reserve, but thus remained practically not noticed by the mass media. Officials are involved in those cases, too, but thus, unlike the situation revealed on July, 5th, the damage to the nature had been really caused.

That is, for example, the illegal construction in the protected zone of the Caucasian reserve and in the territory of the World Natural Heritage object "Western Caucasus" the second turn of the road Guzeripl-Lagonaki or the fact of the illegal timber cuttings in the territory of the Caucasian reserve in the area of cordon Guzeripl carried out with administration of Northern department of the reserve conducted and its employees’ participation.

Andrey RUDOMAKHA (the Ecological Watch across Northern Caucasus)

NatPress