UNLEASHED FROM CAGE!

There have recently been increasingly frequent ads in social networks about the sale of wild animals such as bears, wolves, foxes, raccoons, eagles, hawks and even tiger cubs. Animals are mainly kept in narrow cages of private zoos located in recreation areas and restaurants just to entertain the families visiting these spots to relax in nature. A rather shaky business, even as a gaming experience. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MENR) is trying hard to prevent smuggling and unlawful activities of those who keep wild animals in terrible conditions. The IDEA Animal Care Centre and local animal rights activists are assisting the ministry in this matter.

The animals are constantly in plain sight and exposed to stress while in nature, they live secretly governed by the instinct of self-preservation. Forcefully kept in small and enclosed spaces with no access to sky, sun, and air, limited in movement, unable to take shelter and forced to contact with humans, they often suffer from physical and psychological stress. Furthermore, the isolation of socially active animals such as wolves or monkeys aggravates their difficult situation and negatively affects their health. It is well known that under these conditions, the weakened animals are more sensitive to diseases than in natural habitat. Therefore, most wild animals die in captivity within the next two to three years.

Can we do anything with animals?

Disguising their shaky business with slogans such as "raising animal awareness in children", the owners of private zoos in restaurants and recreation areas achieve only the opposite effect: children may think that they are free to do whatever they wish with animals. This shapes an absolutely consumer approach to the surrounding world, which is dangerous considering the catastrophically deteriorating global environmental situation. As a result, the public society adopts an extremely inhuman attitude towards animals as a norm. According to psychologists and educators, this further promotes cruel instincts in adolescents towards other people.

According to the head of the Azerbaijan Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPA) Azer Garayev, the successful implementation of animal protection laws largely depends on the interaction of relevant border, customs, and executive authorities with law enforcement and environmental institutions. "I believe that the involvement of public institutions will help a lot. It is a business, and like any business, it has drawbacks. And there are people who want to make money on this," said A. Garayev.

The expert believes that it is mandatory to free the wild animals from private zoos scattered around the country and to punish the negligent owners of restaurants and recreation areas operating them.

"But what to do with these animals afterwards? For many years, they have lived in narrow cages and are no longer able to live free. They need a long rehabilitation period and to be under the veterinarian control. Only after that, they can be released into nature," said A. Garayev.

A chance to be free

A centre for the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals and birds was established in the Altiaghach National Park. There is also a large veterinary clinic, where doctors take care of wild animals kept in captivity for a very long time. After all, most of the animals are delivered here with crippled organs thanks to human behavior. Young and healthy animals are released into the wild after feeding.

Ragub Mirzayev, head of the sector under the MENR’s Environmental Protection Department, said that a number of Red-listed animals including three bears, three gazelles, three Daghestan turs (mountain goats), and six hawks have been released from private zoos and transferred to the Rehabilitation Centre over the past nine months. The criminals have been fined ₼500, respectively. The hawk will be released into the wild after veterinarian examination and the rehabilitation period.

"We ask our citizens to call the ministry's hotline (168) as soon as they have evidence of illegal captivity of wild animals. Do not turn a blind eye to such cases, do not remain silent please. Call us immediately. Believe me, this is very important. Wild animals must not be held hostage to human cruelty. These unfortunate animals should be part of nature and live free," appeals R. Mirzoyev to the citizens. By the way, a three-month-old tiger cub has been recently sold for $6,665 in Azerbaijan through the social networks. This is nonsense! Everyone knows that many tiger species are red-listed. To take the animal out of the country, it is necessary to go through many legal obstacles, if it is a question of legal export. Otherwise, one has to answer many questions such as “How has a three-month-old tiger cub been imported to Azerbaijan? Where in Azerbaijan do they keep and breed tigers to sell their cubs later?” After all, keeping an animal as big as a tiger requires large amount of money. We have contacted MENR for details. According to the Ministry, the seller told them his post was just a joke to entertain his friends. Our only option is to believe the ministry officials.

"Legally, to ensure a proper maintenance of wild animals in captivity, it is necessary to obtain relevant permissions from MENR, to make sure that the animal's habitat complies with the required standards, to get a veterinary certificate, and to ensure the safety of people in the immediate vicinity of the beast. Personally, I believe that it is impossible to keep wild animals and birds in such terrible conditions in which they are at those private restaurants and recreation facilities. A wild animal must not live in captivity. We must be responsible for our nature. If everyone understands that the nature is our common house, the source of life, which must be protected from pollution and destruction, then the nature will respond accordingly. We need to change our perception of the world surrounding us, to nurture humane attitudes in our children. It is very important. After all, the future of the whole planet depends on our participation and determination in this matter," said R. Mirzayev.

Meanwhile, MENR is doing its best to decrease the number of illegal acts animal captivity. In addition to the above hotline number, there is also a hotline number 1113 of the IDEA Public Association, where you can report on captive animals. Information will be redirected to MENR, where the officials will take control of the situation and punish the violators.

Animals welfare

According to Surkhai Huseynov, Director of IDEA Animal Care Centre, which is one of the projects of the IDEA Public Association, they have recently managed to release a bear from captivity. For a long time, it was kept in horrible conditions in one of the restaurants of Altiaghach. "The ministry officials took the bear to the Rehabilitation Centre in the Altiaghach Reserve, and then released it into the wild. Occasionally, we receive calls from ordinary people who report about stray wild animals. For instance, a resident of Aran has voluntarily handed over to our employees a gazelle, which he had stumbled upon in his backyard. The animal was released, too," said Huseynov.

Last summer, a round table on smuggling of wild animals was held at the Heydar Aliyev Centre with the assistance of IDEA. At the initiative of IDEA founder Leyla Aliyeva, the Big Caucasian five was identified: five main species of animals that are threatened with extinction (leopard, gazelle, brown bear, gray wolf and imperial eagle). Over the past period, IDEA Public Association (International Dialogue for Environmental Protection), MENR and a number of international partners have implemented several successful projects on the protection of red-listed animal species. As a result, their protection was strengthened, habitats were restored and favorable conditions for reproduction were created.

Along with the protection of endangered species, IDEA is planning to reintegrate into the nature the bison, an endemic species of the Greater Caucasus extinguished a hundred years ago. IDEA, together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and MENR, has developed an action plan for the reintroduction of bisons. According to international experts, the Shahdag National Park in Ismayilliis a suitable location for the implementation of this project. After solving significant technical issues, it is planned to begin the construction of quarantine complexes and enclosures. The Centre for Bison Cultivation will be opened on the territory under this project. Bisons will be released into the wild after a quarantine period.

There is another large-scale project supported by the state for the protection and conservation of animals. This autumn, the establishment of the Shamakhi Safari Park in Azerbaijan was announced. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the opening ceremony. Safari tourism is a popular type of tourism for regular and photo hunting, fishing, as well as watching animals in natural habitat. As traditional safaris are threatening the animals with extinction, recently the organizers have replaced regular hunting tours with guided photo-safaris also known as silent hunting. Azerbaijan has many opportunities for photo-safaris. Specially protected natural areas such as national parks and reserves can play an instrumental role in attracting foreign tourists without any risks to animals.

Four hundred and eighty hectares of area was fenced in order to create an environmental reserve for wild animals in Shamakhi, on the territory of the Pirgulu mountainous wooded area (620 hectares). Hundreds of genetically valuable animal species such as reindeer, deer and mouflons have been imported to the specially protected area from the farms of Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Thanks to relevant selection and veterinary measures, the number of these animals has almost doubled. At present, there are 790 animals in the park, including 260 red deer, 250 mouflons and 280 Caspian deer (marals).

Also, an important work has been accomplished to create necessary infrastructure of the environmental park. A wide thirty-six-kilometer road, a large number of natural shelters, as well as a fifty-two-kilometer fencing have been constructed there to protect deer and mouflons from external influences and infectious diseases.

It is also worth mentioning the positive experience of opening private contact zoos in Baku. In small but almost sterile areas live the rabbits, exotic chicken and roosters, hamsters, turtles, goats, cats, etc. Children can feed and pat them, learn more about these animals. Employees of such institutions are very careful about the pets. We believe that is what children should see to get a positive experience about the wild world.