Against Bill No. 148661 on the killing of rare animals

The issue has been successfully resolved. The initiative is closed!

The Ministry of Natural Resources published draft No. 148661 on the regulation.gov.ru portal in August 2024—amendments to the Federal Law “On the Animal World” that would allow, “in exceptional cases,” the removal of species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. The wording diluted the absolute ban on harvesting rare species and created a precedent for trophy hunting under the guise of sanitary, scientific, or “traditional-cultural” purposes, contradicting Article 24 of Federal Law 52-FZ and IUCN recommendations. 

We promptly launched a six-month public campaign: prepared a technical-legal opinion, started a petition, gathered thousands of signatures, secured coverage in specialized media, and sent appeals to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the relevant State Duma committee. Thanks to sustained public resonance and scientific expertise, officials did not advance the draft beyond the public deliberation stage.

By February 2025 draft No. 148661 remained dormant; the ministry did not submit it for inter-agency approval, and the document effectively “stalled” in the system. The initiative is contained and placed under monitoring—in case of renewed promotion we are ready to reactivate the campaign. 

This initiative has been successfully closed in the current cycle.

Closed on 04 February, 2025

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