No More Small Animal Hunting in Moscow

Moscow plans to pass an ordinance outlawing the hunting of squirrels, hedgehogs, rabbits and other small animals.

The proposed law would be enforced by a series of fines. Any individual found deliberately damaging an animal's habitat - for example by burning vegetation - would be fined between 1,000 and 2,000 rubles, while companies and organizations doing the same would be obliged to pay up to 150,000 rubles. Hunting or otherwise abusing any of the small animals mentioned would lead to a fine of 2,500 rubles.

The move is especially surprising considering the overview of animal rights in Russia. Dog fighting, banned in almost every Western nation, is still legal and popular in many parts of the former Soviet Union. The Russian government still allows the hunting of polar bears for indigenous peoples, despite the fact that the arctic animal is at high risk of extinction.