As part of our public initiative “Hold those responsible accountable for torture of a she-wolf in Yakutia,” the competent public authorities issued an official legal assessment of what happened and initiated the procedure to bring the responsible person(s) to account.
The Ministry of Ecology, Nature Management and Forestry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), having reviewed the collective appeals regarding the unlawful taking of a female wolf in violation of the Hunting Rules (as captured in a video circulating online), reported the following: during an administrative investigation conducted jointly with police officers, the identity of the person shown in the video was established; an administrative offence report was drawn up under Part 1.2 of Article 8.37 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation. The stated grounds were violations of clauses 61 and 62.13 of the Hunting Rules (the prohibition of cruel treatment, and the prohibition on using other live animals with signs of injury or wounds to attract game animals). The case materials were forwarded to the justice of the peace (magistrate) for consideration on the merits.
In addition, the authority indicated that, with respect to other participants, response measures would be taken through the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and materials containing indications of a criminal offence under Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation were sent according to jurisdiction. The Ministry also stated that the court’s decision will be published on its official website.
Accordingly, the core objectives of the initiative have been achieved: (1) to secure an official response from the state and formal recording of the violation; (2) to ensure the identification of at least one participant and the referral of materials to court; (3) to trigger law-enforcement review on indications of a criminally punishable act; and (4) to create a public precedent that discourages the “normalisation” of cruelty within hunting communities and increases the inevitability of liability for similar acts in the future. From the outset, the initiative focused precisely on the inadmissibility of cruel methods of taking wildlife and the need for a clear legal assessment under applicable Russian law.
We will continue public monitoring (including tracking the court outcome and the authority’s publications), but within the scope of the goals set, this initiative is considered successfully concluded.
Closed on 01 March, 2026