YEREVAN, July 9 /ARKA/. Armenia’s National Assembly has voted today unanimously to pass in the first reading a package of draft laws amending the Criminal Code, one of which increases the penalty for shooting Caucasian leopard to 100 million drams.

According to Environment Minister Erik Grigoryan, the current penalty size is 3 million drams.  The minister said penalties for illegal logging have been significantly tightened.  Particularly, committing the same offense a second time during one year leads to criminal liability.

The head of the Bright Armenia faction Edmon Marukyan raised the issue of foresters' wages, arguing that it is difficult to expect them to fulfill their duties at a proper level with a salary of 80 thousand drams per month. However, the minister replied that the foresters’ salaries have been raised to 150 thousand drams thanks to foreign partners, but he acknowledged that in general the problem of decent wages exists. 

A Caucasian leopard was for the first time filmed in 2018 spring by a World Wildlife Fund photojournalist in Armenia’s Khosrov Forest State Reserve. Armenia’s Environment Ministry and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF Armenia) have been implementing a Caucasus Leopard Preservation Program since 2002. 

Its main objective is to increase the population and protect the habitats of the leopard, as well as of other species, like Bezoar goat and Armenian mouflon.  At present, less than a dozen of Caucasian leopards are believed to live in Ararat, Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions of Armenia. ($ 1 – 476.9 drams).