A legal precedent is brewing in Crimea that will put an end to arrogant photo-flayers
The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against photo shooters who force tourists to take pictures with animals near popular display sites.
During the entire period of the fight against photographic services with chinchillas, monkeys and crocodiles in Crimean resorts, for the first time the actions of pseudo-photographers were qualified as conspiracy, and not isolated administrative violations, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Even 10 years ago, a social event was held in Crimea - an advertising and information campaign about the illegality of this type of business such as photo services with animals outside of zoos and circuses. Law enforcement agencies were in no hurry to fight photo flayers, since it was not clear under what article the violation would be classified and what to do with the violator with animals. After Crimea became part of the Russian Federation, the law on the protection of animals from cruelty was adopted among the first.
But here, too, discrepancies began about what was considered cruel treatment and who would issue an expert opinion on this. As a result, the photographers felt invulnerable and even managed to get into hand-to-hand combat with inspectors of the Ministry of Natural Resources when they recorded the provision of services with exotic animals or wild birds of prey, which requires certain conditions and veterinary passports. After paying a fine, photo-flayers received back their pets through the court, which usually did not survive more than one season.
And so, the investigative headquarters of the Investigative Committee for Crimea and Sevastopol opened a criminal case regarding the provision of services that do not meet security requirements, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (clause “a” of Part 2 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
“The investigation department for the city of Yalta established that from April 2021 to June 2022, in tourist places in Greater Yalta, services were provided for a fee for photographing citizens with wild animals in the absence of safe conditions for people,” the Sledkom reported. – Violations of the law were identified as part of the prosecutor’s audit. The animals have now been seized and placed in the zoo.”
The entire animal protection community is waiting for the results of the criminal investigation in the hope that no one else will put monkeys under sedatives on tourists’ shoulders and offer photos with a crocodile whose mouth is wrapped with tape. A real verdict will create a precedent according to which the Ministry of Internal Affairs will no longer brush aside the blatant cruelty and impudence of photo-killers.
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