Alarm Raised About the Captivity of a Red Book Brown Bear at a Hotel Complex

The Ministry of Environment reports: “Any encroachment on a species listed in Armenia's Red Book is unacceptable.” The environmental information platform Econews.am has raised concerns about the captivity of a red book brown bear in unfavorable conditions at the Nairi Spa Resorts hotel complex in Hankavan.

Following the order of the Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan, a letter has been sent to the Inspectorate for Nature Protection and Mining of the Republic of Armenia to conduct a detailed investigation, clarify circumstances, and take appropriate measures.

We strongly condemn such treatment of animals and urge to refrain from engaging in reprehensible practices that exhibit cruelty towards any species listed in Armenia’s Red Book.

The law regulating this sector, the Law on Animal World, is currently undergoing revision. Specifically, it is proposed to establish regulations for the registration and keeping of wild animals, including those included in the RA Red Book, in captivity and semi-captivity, as well as the rules for the use of the animals starting from the second viable generation.

It is also reminded that under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, there are penalties for killing a brown bear registered in the Republic's Red Book: fines amounting to 400-600 times the minimum wage or imprisonment for a term of 2-3 months with compensation for damages ranging from 1 to 5 million drams.

All citizens of the Republic of Armenia are once again urged to immediately report such cases to the RA Police, the Inspectorate for Nature Protection and Mining, or to the Ministry of Environment.