Russia
Russia, the largest country in the world, includes all kinds of natural habitats typical of northern latitudes. Unfortunately, this varied landscape has also suffered its share of loss and degradation. Presently, among the endangered species that inhabit these lands we note: the Siberian (or Amur) tiger, the Amur leopard, the snow leopard, the green sturgeon, the goral, the Steller's sea eagle and the Blakiston's fish owl. Other important animals whose habitats are of conservation priority are the lynx, the Asian black bear, the brown bear, the yellow-throated marten, the snow sheep and eight species of salmon.
Animals on the menu?
In Russia, the caviar business is a gold mine that attracts many poachers and in the last two decades it has made this product available in almost every store in the country. There are different types of caviar of different qualities in the market, which makes it difficult for the buyer to check its origin.
Reports indicate that 80% of the caviar market is illegal. The biggest problem in this regard is the sale of fake products and the illegal mass production that comes from poaching and endangers nature. Caviar poaching has been so destructive after the fall of the Soviet Union, that now the sturgeon - the fish that produces black caviar - has become an endangered species. Sturgeon caviar is in fact the most expensive and the Russian government banned its exportation in 2002. Despite that, it is still sold abroad in the black market.
For more information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s82
Endemic species
Russia has a great variety of endemic species. It is estimated that there are between 350 and 450 Siberian tigers in the country. Almost all wild Siberian tigers live in the south-eastern part of Russia in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, east of the Amur River. Its original range included the northeast of China and the Korean peninsula, and the west to Mongolia. The Siberian or Amur tiger is considered a severely threatened species due to poaching and the loss of its natural habitat.
Here it is also possible to find the rare Amur leopard which has only about 28 - 30 individuals left in the wild, being one of the most threatened big cats in the world. In the north, snow and low temperatures prevent these animals from reproducing successfully, in southern China massive human developments have destroyed their natural habitat and this causes these animals to reproduce only in a small strip of land along the Russian-Chinese border.
Hunting
Hunting is an activity that takes place in all regions of the country: the brown bear is hunted throughout the year since different regions have different hunting seasons. Asian black bears represent a popular trophy and are often killed for their bile that is sold as medicine in different Asian countries. The lynx, several species of deer, elk, mountain goats and wild boar, in addition to birds, are also victims of hunting.
For more information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s105
Photos with wild animals
In some cities of Russia, for example St. Petersburg, you can meet people who offer tourists to take photos with wild animals, such as monkeys or exotic birds. These animals are usually taken from their mothers at a very young age and the constant handling and contact with humans is extremely stressful to them, as well as dangerous to people. Once they have become adults, too big or even aggressive, they are usually replaced by others and end up abandoned or even worse. For more information on the topic: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s15
Stray animals
There are large numbers of stray animals in Russia, which often live in very bad conditions. The stray cat and dog populations are controlled by unregulated mass slaughter which usually involves very cruel slaughter methods. If you find these animals, you can help them by giving them some food or water, but avoiding close contact with them in order to avoid contagious illnesses. Before traveling you can find the contacts of local animal protection NGOs to inform them in case you find very ill animals or victims of animal abuse, or in case you want to make a donation.
For more information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s95-perros-y-gatos-callejeros
Animal circuses
Circuses, unfortunately, still remain an important reality in Russia. As many people around the world already know, animals forced to work in these facilities are deprived of liberty throughout their lives and most of the time they only leave their cages or are released from their chains to perform unnatural activities which humiliate them. In most cases, these are wild animals, even endangered species (Asian elephants, tigers, chimpanzees), which would travel hundreds of kilometers a day in the wild, and in circuses they are trained through violence and fed inadequately. In 2013, an investigation by the local NGO Vita Animal Rights Center brought to light the terrible living conditions of animals in Russian circuses and how they were trained by beating. Since local legislation is still insufficient, it is very important that neither tourists nor locals pay and encourage these shows.
Dolphinariums
In this country you can also find centers that keep cetaceans (dolphins, orcas or beluga whales) in captivity. Research has shown that these intelligent animals suffer greatly in the limiting conditions of dolphinariums and their levels of stress and mortality are highly elevated.
The training of these animals for circus shows where they perform totally unnatural behaviors, which can physically harm them, is achieved by keeping the animals in a permanent state of hunger so that they act in exchange for a piece of dead fish.
Condemned by their facial structure, which resembles a human smile, these highly social animals, which would swim long distances and dive into great depths in the wild, are used to perform stunts in small concrete tanks. Many of these individuals are taken from the wild. More information: http://sosdelfines.org/
Here is a list of local NGOs that can be contacted in case you want to make a donation, a complaint or find an animal that needs help in Russia:
The Charity Fund "Assistance to stray dogs"
