Endangered Leopard Found Living in Moscow Apartment Building Moscow authorities have seized an endangered leopard that had been living in the basement of a Moscow apartment building, a few blocks from metro Polezhayevskaya. Police and officials from the citys environmental management department raided the premises on Friday evening after receiving a tip from the Natural Resources Ministry, Interfax reported. The leopard, whose species is listed in Russias Red Book of near-extinct animals, has been taken to a shelter and treatment center just outside the city, in the Dmitrovsky District. The leopard is doing well, a representative of the Natural Resources Ministry told Interfax. Authorities have launched a criminal case into the illegal acquisition and trafficking of an especially valuable wild animal, the report said. The culprits face up to five years in prison and a million-ruble ($27,900) fine. This was not the first sad leopard story to feature among the Russian headlines in recent days. Last Thursday, investigators in the far-eastern Vladivostok announced that a suspected poacher faced seven years behind bars for allegedly poaching a critically endangered Amur leopard and then attempting to sell its pelt. After the 32-year-old hunter began scouting offers for the rare leopards pelt, local police were tipped off. Officers initially posed as potential buyers before detaining the suspect and launching a criminal investigation. The hunter may be charged with the unlawful production and distribution of a particularly rare and valuable wild animal, a charge police claim they have ample proof to back up in court. The case materials have been dispatched to a local court for judicial review. The ecological crime inflicted a loss of at least 1.5 million rubles on the region, the police statement said. According to the most recent available data, a mere 50 Amur leopards remain in existence today, and all of them reside in the southern Primorye region, Interfax reported. The World Wildlife Fund offered an even lower estimate, saying about 30 of the nearly extinct animals are alive today. The Amur leopard is included in Russias Red Book endangered species list. The World Conservation Union has warned that the species is on the brink of extinction. They have been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, meaning they face an extreme risk of extinction in the wild. More than 20 of them live in captivity at Primoryes Land of the Leopard National Park.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 18:13:21 +0000
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