In the Kerbulak district of the Zhetysu region, a 49-year-old deputy of the district maslikhat, Yerlan Zhumadilov, has been detained. On the summer kitchen of his home in the village of Bashchi, two live saker falcons and a homemade net were discovered. These birds are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan and are protected by law.
According to ORDA, the detention was carried out by officers from the organised crime unit, who had received information about preparations for the illegal sale of rare birds.
Zhumadilov works in the national park. It is reported that, along with two accomplices, he caught saker falcons at the Takyr site during the peak of the autumn migration. During this time, national park staff traditionally step up protection of the territory from poachers.
A pre-trial investigation has been launched against the deputy under part 1 of Article 339 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Illegal handling of rare and endangered animals").
The case is particularly striking — a deputy who also works in the national park and is tasked with protecting nature has himself become a suspect in a poaching case.