Heated debates took place during a roundtable meeting held at the Ministry of the Environment to discuss the Government decision concerning hunting in the 2015-2016 season. The meeting involved representatives of the Ministry, the Society of Hunters and Fishermen, expert NGOs and of the academic community, IPN reports.

 

Minister of the Environment Valeriu Munteanu said the decision provides that the hunting of deer, elks, stags, partridges, hares, wild geese, ducks and bald coots is banned throughout the season and its provisions must be respected. “The need to call such a meeting appeared after numerous complaints were submitted to state institutions, asking reviewing the Government decision concerning hunting in the 2015-2016 season. No one has yet annulled the Parliament decision of 1997, which stipulates that the optimal density for hares is 160,000-200,000 hares. We must ensure this so as to prevent the disappearance of this species,” he stated.

 

The Ecologist Movement shares this opinion. Its representative Vladimir Garaba said it’s not real and normal to continue killing animals. “The natural conditions for the humans and animals become more difficult every year. Instead of protecting the nature, we destroy it. The previous ecological ethics is now ignored. The influence of the Society of Hunters and Fishermen is much greater than that of the other NGOs taken together. The ecologist community supports the banning of hunting. We will focus on a very clear goal – banning hunting completely and reviewing the status of this public association,” he stated.

 

The Society of Hunters and Fishermen’s head Oleg Ciocoi said that a commission was set up to examine their proposals concerning this document after the first draft decision on hunting in the 2015-2016 season was put forward. “Afterward, a new draft decision appeared, which provides that the hunting of ducks is allowed in the period between August 15 and December 13, of geese – between October 3 and December 3, of hares – between November 29 and December 27. This draft decision was signed by the previous minister, but you ignored it when you came,” he stated, addressing the minister.

 

According to the data presented by the Institute of Zoology and the Society of Hunters and Fishermen, the number of birds in Moldova has considerably decreased over the last five years. In 2010, there were 7,065 geese, but now the figure is 20 times lower. In 2010, the ducks and bald coots totaled 85,000, but now there are only 19,000 such birds.