In Karaganda, a local resident and member of Kazakhstan's national hunting with birds of prey team illegally kept 35 raptors listed in the Red Book at his home for several years, including saker falcons, golden eagles, and a peregrine falcon. During a search, officers from the Financial Monitoring Agency seized the birds, and the suspect was taken into custody, according to infohub.kz.
According to the AFM, the man had been operating an illegal nursery on his property since 2017. He was a member of the "Kusbegilik" federation and part of Kazakhstan's national team for traditional hunting with birds of prey.
Investigators believe the suspect shared posts on Instagram about traditional hunting, bird care, and treatment. Through the social network, he connected with individuals who brought him rare raptors captured in the wild.
"During a search of his residence, 35 birds of prey were found and seized, including saker falcons, golden eagles, and a peregrine falcon. These species are listed in the Red Book and are rare and endangered. The suspect has been taken into custody. With court approval, his Toyota 4Runner was also confiscated," the AFM stated.
The agency also said that after the verdict, the birds are planned to be released back into the wild. Other details of the investigation are not disclosed.
Earlier, the editorial team reported that national park employees were catching red-listed birds for smuggling abroad. They seized over 40 birds, five firearms, about 200 rounds of ammunition, cold and throwing weapons, and equipment for keeping and transporting birds. Preliminary estimates indicate the damage to the state exceeded 120 million tenge.