Illegal goat hunters cause 4.5 billion soums in environmental damage in Surkhandarya

In the Surkhandarya region, illegal hunters who killed two rare wild goats caused 4.5 billion soums worth of damage to the environment. This was reported by the regional Department of Ecology.

According to the report, on July 5, during a raid in the Oltikunlik massif of the Khatak section of the reserve, individuals engaged in illegal hunting were detained. The suspects had hunted two wild mountain goats (ibex)—a species listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan.

During the operation, three armed individuals moving through the protected area drew the attention of rangers. Their movements, though conducted on rocky and steep terrain, were monitored remotely using binoculars and mobile devices. Authorities documented their actions.

When the individuals reached a resting area, it was discovered they had hunted and slaughtered a rare species of goat-horned ibex, listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They were detained at the scene with physical evidence.

A forensic examination of the remains confirmed that the killed animals were a 1-year-old female and a 3-year-old male ibex.

By the Presidential Decree of May 31, 2023, fines for the illegal hunting of animals listed in the Red Book have been increased tenfold. As a result, the damage caused to the state was estimated at 4.5 billion soums.

As a reminder, a similar incident occurred earlier in the Kuva district of the Fergana region, where an individual was caught trying to sell a wild eagle, also listed in the Red Book.