Protest trophy killing of rare wild sheep

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TROPHY KILLING OF RARE WILD SHEEP SPECIES IN UZBEKISTAN Posted by: "David J A Conlin" proact-campaigns proactpro Wed Dec 17, 2008 5:13 am (PST) On 2 December 2008, the Uzbek media reported that the BulgarianPresident, Mr Georgi Parvanov, went hunting and shot dead an Ovis ammonsevertzovi, Kyzylkum (Wild) Sheep, in the Nuratin nature reserve while onan official visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan.The VIP hunt was planned a month earlier ,well before thePresident's visit to Uzbekistan.The Kyzylkum Sheep is an endangered species with only between severalhundred and two thousand individuals surviving today. Nuratin is astrictly protected nature reserve (Ia category of IUCN). Hunting, or anyother form of human activity that could endanger or harm the wildlife, isstrictly prohibited. Kyzylkum Sheep trophies are quite expensive - alicence costs some 20,000 USD - and only a very few may be shot legallyevery year.Bulgarian conservationists and normal citizens are outraged and believethat their President should concern himself with the protection ratherthan hunting of these animals and observe rather than break the law. Aspresident of a EU state, Mr Parvanov could have concerned himself withthe disgraceful state of human rights in Uzbekistan rather than takingpart in a hunt organised by the Uzbek state security services.A petition calling on the president to distance himself from thisdisgrace by returning the trophy to Uzbekistan is at:http://en.forthenature.org/petitions/Return_the_Trophy_Mr_President

<http://en.forthenature.org/petitions/Return_the_Trophy_Mr_President>Please find the time to visit the site and register your protest byemail.Thank you,David Conlin (Proact) and Stefan Avramov(Bulgaria)