According to Talant Botaliev, a resident of the village of Terek, hunters led by Kychan Turdubaev from the village of Bayetov shot two out of seven wolves that had been terrorizing shepherds since summer, attacking horses and causing significant damage.
Kychan Turdubaev, one of the hunters, shared that they managed to successfully track seven wolves, ultimately shooting two. "Our shepherds reported seven wolves that were attacking livestock and had killed several horses. They asked us to address this problem. We organized searches and pursued them. The wolves were hiding, moving to different places such as Orto-Syrt, Acha-Döbö, and Maistan. Yesterday, November 20, we went out on their trail again. Three wolves descended from Acha-Döbö to Maistan, and then headed towards Kankyldak. We set up ambushes and blocked their paths. As a result, around 08:30 in the morning, I managed to shoot two wolves — a male and a female, both of which were quite large and healthy.
However, hunter Kychan Turdubaev mentioned the existing difficulties. "Local residents are coming to us asking to eliminate the growing number of wolves and jackals. We go out to hunt at their request, but we do not receive any support from local or district authorities. A reward of 5,000 soms is promised for the shooting of one wolf, and 2,500 soms for a jackal, but we have not received a single penny so far. We spend weeks and months in the cold, incurring expenses for fuel, food, and ammunition, but no one reimburses our costs. The question arises: where is the promised money?"
Licensing Issues
Edil Üsunov, another hunter, noted that hunting licenses have not been issued for five years. "In Ak-Tal, a hunting moratorium has been in effect since then, and no licenses are issued. We organize the hunting of wolves and jackals ourselves, as people come to us. We thank the local residents for their support. All expenses for the hunt are covered by the population. There is a concept of 'hunting objects' — these are animals not listed in the Red Book, for which hunting is allowed, but licenses for them are also not issued. In other districts, such as At-Bashy, Jumgal, and Kochkor, hunting is allowed, but not here.
Moreover, a reward of 5,000 soms is promised for shooting one wolf; however, this may be complicated by bureaucracy. We act at the request of the population, but rewards do not come because they must be considered by a special commission. However, the hunting specialist is in another village, and the commission cannot convene in a timely manner, which is why information about the killed wolves does not reach the authorities. We do not receive our rewards, despite the fact that 90% of the population depends on livestock as their only source of income, which is being destroyed by wolves and jackals.
We do not have licenses. We go out to hunt wolves only at the direction of the ayil okmotu, which is, of course, illegal. But we are obliged to meet the demands of the people. This is our main problem. Additionally, there is currently an increase in the fox population, there are no pheasants left in the forests, and no chukars in the fields. All of this is being exterminated by foxes and jackals. It would be good if this problem were resolved," added E. Üsunov.
