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“Did Deputy Minister Rasa Vaitkevičiūtė participate in a hunt in which three protected ducks were shot?” Asks the Lithuanian Ornithological Society, which found photos in which Deputy Environment Minister R. Vaitkevičiūtė was caught alongside hunting trophies: Ducks. According to ornithologists, some of them are protected species of birds.
“We continue with a relevant topic for bird protection in the latest hunting rules: after taking an interest in the passion for waterfowl hunting by Deputy Environment Minister Rasa Vaitkevičiūtė, we easily found evidence of such passion, which may have fueled the unrestricted hunting of all fish birds. ” We remind you that on May 8. Environment Minister Kęstutis Mažeika legalized hunting of all fish-eating birds in fishing ponds with his signature, which contrasts with European and Lithuanian nature protection laws. But this time it’s not about that. We were struck in 2018. August 17, message from Rasa Vaitkevičiūtė on the Facebook group “Hunters”. In it, the Vice Minister uploaded photos of a “successful”, as the author herself called, “anchor”. We cannot assess how successful it was in terms of hunting, but it is clear that in terms of species diversity the hunting was truly extraordinary. In addition to the permitted hunting duck species, the photos of the Deputy Minister also show two species of dead ducks included in the Lithuanian list of protected species (Lithuanian Red Data Book): the pointy-tailed duck and two gray ducks. Three protected ducks were shot during a hunt, one of which (peacock) is disappearing throughout Europe, and in Lithuania, according to the criteria recommended by the International Organization for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), our country has been evaluated as a critical state of extinction. We remind you that in Lithuania it is allowed to hunt big, tufted, brown-headed, teal and brown swallows. Dozens of duck species are also found in Lithuania, and hunting is prohibited. It is essential that hunters know them well, especially those listed in the Red Book, and not shoot them, but it seems that not enough attention is given to species knowledge in hunting courses. It is true that it is not yet known whether the people who hunted the protected bird species shown in the photographs were allowed to remove endangered animals and for what purposes, but if these bird species were hunted by mistake, who killed they will have to compensate the damage of nature. , which amounts to 870 euros. This fact and the recent problems related to the change in hunting rules confirm once again that neither the Minister of the Environment nor the Deputy Minister R. Vaitkevičiūtė are suitable to occupy the position of nature guardians “, the report reads of the association.
The Lithuanian Ornithological Society states that it will soon pass this evidence on to the responsible authorities for an investigation.
“We hope that the responsible officials will adopt a sincere and principled approach to this situation, and that the Prime Minister will seriously consider the composition of the cabinet and the possibilities of the leaders of the Ministry of the Environment to finish the mandate,” said the association in a statement.
Facebook photo
The portal was unable to contact the Vice Minister on Wednesday night.
The minister criticizes the information.
The portal kauno.diena.lt received written responses to this situation on Thursday, when it had already been announced that R. Vaitkevičiūtė was resigning.
“The minister criticizes the information published by the ornithologists. The responsible authorities should carry out an investigation based on the information provided to determine whether an infringement has occurred and which ducks. As you know, this morning the Minister accepted the request for resignation of the Vice Minister ”, wrote the minister’s advisor, Justas Jaskonis.
Deputy Minister: revoking the entire order of the Minister of the Environment on hunting will be complicated
It will be difficult to override the entire order signed by Environment Minister K. Mažeika on Friday on the Hunting Rules, Deputy Environment Minister R.Vaitkevičiūtė said.
“Since the hunting season has already started, I am afraid it will be very difficult to take and revoke the entire order … The lawyers should probably be consulted,” the deputy minister said at a meeting of the Seimas Environment Committee on Wednesday.
According to BNS, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis asked on Wednesday to revoke the “failed” order, which, among other things, legalized hunting from the bows from 2022.
On Tuesday, Environment Minister K. Mažeika removed by a new order from the document signed on Friday only the clause that provides for the possibility of using bows.
Deputy Minister R. Vaitkevičiūtė reminded committee members that the Hunting Advisory Council will convene next Friday, where proposed changes to other elements of the Hunting Rules as amended by the order will be discussed.
“An advisory commission will be convened repeatedly for individual articles. Apparently, we will vote and discuss more widely,” said R. Vaitkevičiūtė.
Conservationists are calling for the cancellation of a document signed by the minister on Friday, which also allowed hunting of invasive beasts in the dark, the use of spotlights not only for wild boars, but also an extension of the badger hunting deadline. , a ban on decoys in 300-meter sanctuaries. and other provisions.
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