The goal of hunters is not exterminating animals, but increasing their number and those who are against hunting don’t understand its benefits. “Hunting is meant to preserve ecological balance so that animal species develop normally, without damaging the agriculture or even other species and biodiversity”, Sergiu Turcu, the jurist of the Moldova Society of Hunters and Fishermen told a press conference.

According to him, the Society’s 15,000 members hunt only those animals that are permitted by law. They don’t hunt forbidden species and don’t hunt outside the permitted period and areas. He says that the Ecological Inspectorate cannot protect the fauna as well as those who during the year take care of developing game for hunting.

Oleg Ciocoi, the Society’s chairman, added that the number of poachers is increasing compared to previous years and the situation is worsening. He says the Society of Hunters and Fishermen wants the law to be stricter and for poachers to receive higher fines and their guns and logistics to be seized. “If such penalties are approved, the impact of poachers will be reduced”, explained Ciocoi.

He went on to call the earlier decision to ban hunting for certain species a mistake. “When this decision was taken, a mistake was made, because nothing good came out of it. Interdicting hunting for a species can lead to an increase or decrease in other populations”, added Oleg Ciocoi.

The Government on August 10 announced the hunting limits for this season, allowing the hunting of 1.137 million hares, doves, pheasants, geese, ducks, moorhens, curlews and coots, and 420 boars.

Writing on his Facebook account, the former Environment Minister Valeriu Munteanu criticized the decision to remove the restrictions as a “mass murdering of game”.