Environmental authorities in Uzbekistan have uncovered a major illegal hunting operation spanning the Samarkand and Surkhandarya regions. Joint raids conducted by the regional Main Departments of Ecology and Climate Change resulted in the interception of poachers engaged in systematic wildlife destruction.

During a routine vehicle inspection, authorities pulled over a Niva Legend automobile. Upon searching the trunk, inspectors discovered eight sacks containing the butchered remains of a rare brown bear and three wild boars, serving as direct evidence of the illicit activity.

Further searches of the vehicle revealed a heavily armed cache, including five different types of hunting firearms, ammunition, binoculars, sound suppressors (silencers), knives, flashlights, axes, and other gear. Investigators established that the poachers operated within the Sariosiyo district of the Surkhandarya region.

Official assessments indicate that the poachers slaughtered a Tien Shan brown bear—a species officially listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan—alongside three wild boars. The total material damage inflicted upon the local ecosystem and animal kingdom is calculated at 679.8 million soms.

Law enforcement agencies have initiated a criminal case against the suspects under the country's Criminal Code. All confiscated weapons, ammunition, and documents have been transferred to local internal affairs departments for temporary safekeeping, while the vehicle used in the crime was impounded.

Source: kun.uz