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Prosecutors investigate brutal killing of wild bear in Russia

A video, which earlier appeared in the Internet, showed a group of rotation workers ruthlessly running over a wild bear with a truck

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

YAKUTSK, December 27 /TASS/. Prosecutors in Yakutia (also known as the Republic of Sakha) have demanded an investigation into the brutal killing of a wild bear. The local Interior Ministry has received instructions to establish if criminal charges should be brought against a group of rotation workers for the brutal treatment of a wild animal, the prosecutor office’s press service said on Tuesday.

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"The republic’s prosecutors have taken charge of the case. There are signs of animal cruelty based on the actions committed by a group of individuals colluding together. These actions, which maimed the animal and eventually led to its death, are liable to prosecution. The materials of the case have been turned over to Yakutia’s Interior Ministry for a detailed study," the prosecutors said.

Nikolai Dodokhov, head of the hunting department of the Yakutian Ministry of Environmental Protection, told TASS that the rotation workers could face up to 12 months behind bars if proven guilty.

A video, which earlier appeared in the Internet, showed a group of rotation workers ruthlessly running over a wild bear with a truck.

Russia’s Administrative Code stipulates a fine anywhere in the range of 100,000 rubles ($1,644) to 300,000 rubles ($4,932), or a fine with a price tag equaling the perpetrator’s salary or any other income for a period from 12 months to 2 years. The suspects can also be sentenced to 480 hours of community service or forced labor for a period of up to 2 years or spend 2 years in jail.

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