Poaching in Kyrgyzstan is now punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment

Illegal hunting and fishing in Kyrgyzstan can result not only in the loss of the catch and a fine, but also in a genuine prison sentence. President Sadyr Zhaparov has signed a law establishing penalties for poaching of up to seven years’ imprisonment.

The new version of Article 310 of the Criminal Code classifies penalties according to the damage caused to the environment, the location of the offence and the methods used to catch animals or fish.

If illegal hunting or fishing has caused significant damage, the offender faces a fine of between 50,000 and 100,000 KGS or imprisonment for up to two years. This rule also applies to fishing in spawning grounds and along migration routes – precisely where human interference can have a particularly severe impact on population numbers.

The law treats poaching involving the use of machinery and prohibited methods much more seriously. The use of motor vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, explosives, chemicals, electric current, synthetic nets, gases and other methods of mass destruction of animals and fish is punishable by a fine of between 100,000 and 200,000 KGS or imprisonment for a term of between two and five years.

The penalty increases to five to seven years’ imprisonment if the illegal hunting took place in a nature reserve, a wildlife sanctuary, an area affected by an environmental disaster or an environmental emergency. The same sentence applies to the hunting of rare and endangered animals, species prohibited from being hunted, and for causing particularly serious damage.

Persons to whom animals were entrusted in the course of their duties or placed under their protection may also face criminal liability carrying the maximum sentence. In addition, the court may prohibit convicted persons from holding certain positions or engaging in relevant activities for a period of up to three years.

Lawmakers have specifically defined what constitutes serious damage. Damage exceeding the reference figure by 100 times (from 10,000 KGS) is deemed significant; by 1,000 times (from 100,000 KGS) – major; and by 10,000 times (from 1 million KGS) – particularly major.