Arab tourists in Azerbaijan continue hunting endangered birds despite recent scandal. Authorities silent
Hunting endangered birds continues in Azerbaijan
Environmentalists in Azerbaijan are sounding the alarm: hunting endangered birds continues on the territory of the country’s Qakh reserve.
The authorities have not reacted in any way to the actions of Arab tourists engaged in the practice; the Ministry of Ecology has not made any statements about the extermination of rare birds.
JAMnews has already written about the illegal hunting of Arab tourists in the Ajynokhur field, located 400 kilometers from Baku on the territory of the Gakh State Reserve. The hunting season in Azerbaijan officially ended on February 28, 2021.
Since the beginning of the holidays in connection with Novruz, Azerbaijan’s eco-activists have tirelessly posted new materials about the illegal actions of tourists from Arab countries in the reserve, where birds listed in the Red Book are being exterminated.
Activists of the Azerbaijani environmental organization Eco-front have shared photos and videos of the bustard and sand grouse hunting. Also common are photographs with a killed Caucasian crane, of which there are only about 200 pairs left in nature.
The authorities, represented by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, do not react in any way to what is happening. The Ministry of Ecology was content with only a statement about the fine imposed on tourists hunting in the reserve. But the hunt continues to this day.
According to Javid Gara, head of the Eco-front organization, the tents set up by the Arabs in the reserve are guarded by Azerbaijani police, and it is difficult for ecologists to reach this place. Most of the photos and videos distributed on social networks are taken by eco-activists from the pages of the Arab hunters themselves.
“There is no ecology ministry in Azerbaijan. If Minister Mukhtar Babayev respects himself, he must resign,” Javid Gara wrote on his Facebook page.
