Man kills a rare hyena, causing 1 billion soums in ecological damage in Surkhandarya

The individual responsible for killing the rare striped hyena in the Surkhandarya region has been identified, as announced by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change.

Social media circulated photos showing a man killing a hyena and hanging it by its leg. This incident was investigated by the Department of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Surkhandarya Region in conjunction with the National Guard.

Reports indicate that the incident occurred between late October and early November 2023 in the "Takatosh" area within the "Obodon" neighborhood of the Shorchi district, Surkhandarya region.

During the investigation, unidentified animal bones were discovered and sent to relevant organizations for scientific identification. Once the species was confirmed, the documents were forwarded to the prosecutor's office for further action. The citizen's actions resulted in ecological damage valued at 1 billion 60 thousand soums.

"Under Article 202 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, killing animals listed in the Red Book can lead to a fine of 400 to 600 times the minimum monthly salary, or a restriction or deprivation of liberty for 3 to 5 years," the ministry stated.

Additionally, it was previously reported that in the Konimekh district of the Navoi region, a person was found to have illegally caught 218 fish, causing ecological damage of 1 billion 240 million soums.