https://en.belsat.eu/87305798/...xes-are-next-in-line


Bear hunting season will soon begin in Belarus, lynxes are next in line

16.06.2025, 07:08

Telegram

In Belarus, approaches to the protection of wild animals have changed: brown bears and lynxes have been excluded from the category of species under the greatest protection. Following this, hunting for these species is allowed - in certain periods and only in some regions of the country.

According to the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora, bear hunting will be allowed from July 1 to December 31, and lynx hunting from October 1 to January 31, Radio Liberty noted. However, hunting for these animals will only be possible in certain areas. In the Vitebsk region: Vitebsk, Glubokoe, Gorodok, Dokshitsy, Dubrovno, Lepel, Liozno, Orsha, Senno and Ushachi districts. In the Minsk region: Borisov and Logoisk.



As explained by the Deputy Head of the Department for Control over the Protection and Use of Wildlife Stepan Guzney, hunting will be possible if there is a certain minimum population density - at least 0.6 individuals per thousand hectares. In addition, there should be at least one female bear with young animals in the hunting area. Shooting will be limited to no more than 10% of the total population.



According to the representative of the inspectorate, when preparing documents and regulating the hunting procedure, Belarusian specialists were guided by Russian practice.



The reason for these changes was the decree of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection No. 10 of March 14, 2025, which regulates the inclusion of animals in the Red Book. According to the resolution, the brown bear was transferred from the I (highest) protection category to the IV (least protected), the lynx - from the II also to the IV. In addition, according to these changes, the bison that previously had III received the IV category.



Recall that talks about excluding 12 species of animals, as well as reducing the protective status for bison, lynx, bear and badger, have been going on for a long time. At the beginning of 2024, the Minister of Natural Resources Andriy Khudyk argued that the changes are scientifically justified and related to progress in biodiversity conservation.



It is also known that the initiative was actively lobbied by Igor Shunevich, the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, now the head of the Society of Hunters and Fishermen, who proposed to exclude bears and bison from the book, motivating this by their danger, but scientists do not agree with this. According to ecologist Polina Burko, such an offer could be based on the desire to make money, since hunting bison for foreigners cost up to 22 thousand rubles at that time.



At the same time, we recall that in June 2025, there were many reports of the activation of bears in the Hrodna region. The Ministry of Forestry warned about this. Environmentalists attribute this to deforestation: bears are forced to look for food and a new place.



Roman Shavel / IR belsat.eu

Belarus is simply Russia Lite. As an American, no way would I risk hunting in either country….YMMV.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
Belarus is simply Russia Lite. As an American, no way would I risk hunting in either country….YMMV.

Don’t be pussy that you are

It’s got nothing to do with being a pussy. It has EVERYTHING to do with refusing to fund dictators and their oligarchs. Obviously that doesn’t bother you but no surprise there, considering your lineage…..

We all go to Africa and most countries are run hell of a lot more tyrannically with massive bureaucracy and corruption and we still go so don’t get all up in arms
Look how many people on here go to Asia and specifically to Pakistan
Sometimes as hunters we get better bargains because of some of these turmoils…unfortunately