THE KILLER OF THE BELOVEZHSKAYA PUSHCHA RESERVE

The article by Kirill VASILKOV,
Independent Ecological Expertise Group, City of Grodno
Specially for the site "Belovezhskaya Pushcha — XXI Century",
October 20, 2003

Some time later, I have no doubt, the Belarusians will learn the secret to whom the reserve has been serving for the 3 last years. But even today if the law-enforcement bodies were not blind at their own will, they would start to unravel the "ball« that had rolled by itself, into their hands. Here is this »ball«, sent by God himself.

On the 25th of July, an unusual theft took place in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, that is, the General Director himself was robbed! However, the intrigue is not that, in fact, higher brass persons and behind more secure locals had been robbed many times before. The gravity of this theft was in the fact that a Degtyanov sniper (!) rife with an optical sight (!) and 9 cartridges (!) was stolen. Of the 9, 8 cartridges have bullets with a higher hitting capacity. In fact, using such a weapon could lead to 9 victims without and doubt. Even a blind person will not miss. Besides, together with the rifle, 2 mobile phones and a sports bag with men's clothes and ladies underwear got stolen. What a packing for a rifle!

But the intrigue does not come to an end. The Victim-General Director reported the loss of these things only. But MORE things had got lost. It turned out that a considerable amount of money, jewelry, natural fur coats had disappeared. All that had belonged to Bogush, Nina Matveyevna, chief of the local trading unit (trading among other things in goods confiscated from smugglers). The woman was living with the Director together at the moment. Well, that brings up a question immediately: why were these expensive things not specified in the victims report? You see, it could have been so simple, if the investigators had got the answer from the mouth of the victim-women. And they could well doubt the words told by the woman. Because there are shops in the reserve that trade in this confiscated goods. But under a specific control. But the "ball« was left untouched, even a thread was not pulled though nothing could have been more simple…

Naturally, all police and detective forces were thrown to catch the thief. My goodness, it was a combat sniper rifle with cartridges! Besides, the theft occured just on the eve of "Dozhinki-2003« (a festivity devoted to the end of harvesting time, editor's note) that was to take place in Pruzhany (a town near the reserve). All seems logical but there is no logic at all in the fact that, the police people did not pay attention to the owner of the rifle. It is with this combat sniper rifle, that the general director had moved freely around. He was, in fact, like a professional sniper. Just imagine, what would happen with any other Belarusian if such a »toy« were found in his apartment.

Note, the hitting range of the "toy« is 1.5 km, its bullet makes a hole in an armour jacket. Why such a killiry force for the general director, who has the most peaceful profession on Earth-a forester? I asked the policemen what an ordinary Belarusian would face in such a case. The response was immediate: a criminal case a prison, the bars etc. And consequently, a thorough investigation would follow: when and how many times the rifle had been fired etc.

Thank God, the lost rifle was soon found in a garage in Brest. The thief turned out to be a former resident of the Kamenyuki village. He stole the things for money and just to look a rich man to his "too cool« girlfriend. He gave himself away when trying to reregister a mobile phone. But the point is not him.

The point is that the detectives for some reason did not pay attention to the fact that Nikolai Bambiza had NOT a license to possess the rifle, he had just taken it away from the arsenal of the National Park. And had been keeping it loaded in a room. Not in a safe even like professional hunters do. Moreover, N.Bambiza had been keeping the rifle in his car even when driving it. Imagine what would have happened if any man had enraged him? Well. Everyone knows N.Bambiza is unbalanced, short-tempered, treats people with contempt, his speech is all but dirty words, even facts of beauty people had been reported. He needs to see a psychologist, I am sure. Maybe it is just because of his way of treating people that he had chosen to dwell not in the hotel in Kamenyuki but in the guest house deep down in the Pushcha forest, 10 km away from the Park Administration office. By the way, this guest house had previously been very popular with tourists and brought a big profit to the Park.

And now, let us see what was happening in the reserve when the general director had his weapon constantly with himself in his car. Last winter, in the very center of the woods, 2–3 km away from the Official Residence of the President, two young females of European bison were found dead in the hayfields after snow melted down. Then followed 2 deer, a wild boar with cut off fangs, then a young horse. And all the dead animals had no traces of attacks of predators. What would any general director have done? Would he have called the police to initiate inquiry? N.Bambiza, to his staff's surprise, did not do that. Usually, poachers shoot for meat. But here the carcasses were found untouched. And why a horse? The competent people explain it this way: most probably the hunts took place at night. In the headlights beams, for away the eyes of animals shine but the silhouettes are dim, it's difficult to make out what kind of animal it is. In this case they usually shoot at eyes. The wounded animal would run away, then fall down when dying, but it is difficult to find it in the darkness.

Here is what the local people say, they know much, you can hide nothing from people. N.Bambiza shoots at everything that moves. Over a year, he uses about 150 cartridges and none in the Park has any idea how and on what ground to write off these cartridges. Note that each used cartridge must be reported, this is the rule.

And, in the long run, the general director is entitled to carry only a pistol on himself. And that is all!!! And even that is permitted only by a special license. In other words, even the very fact of its loosing could be the base for a criminal case.

Meanwhile, in front of the house of the director-hermit hating the local people, in winter the Park personnel bring the feed for the animals and spread it not far away. Like urging: shoot Nikolai Bambiza, look through the optical sight! Though the procedure of feeding animals has been established since long: the feed should be brought and spread in a specially allocated place. What have we as the result? Almost no animals in these parts. They got frightened and left or…

This May an unprecedented case became publicly known in the reserve. A quite healthy European bison (male) was killed. The bison was in his prime age, 10 years old, and had 800 kg in weight. However, everyone knows that the officially permitted term of shooting bisons expires in March. Neither bison — breeding specialists or veterinary doctors were present at the killity scene. No sense even to mention a special commission that should be set up each time a bison should be killed and should be present at the place of shooting 400 kg of bison meat were entered into the receipt book and of course all other documents were filed as they were supposed to. You can now appreciate the way the "selection« and »preservation« of the bisons are carried out here.

Well, what about the criminal case for the unlawful possession of arms? On 22-rd of August, deputy chief of the local police Mr. Rusakevich answered to a question by the BELAPAN Information Agency. He said that "an appropriate note had been made in the book of arms transfer«. THAT IS WHY there is no grounds to accuse the director of an unlawful arms possession». Why make himself look like that in the eyes of all the readers in Belarus? What did this official do a forgery for? It is enough like he said, to make a note in the book?« Enough for a combat weapon with a hitting range of 1.5 km? What, I wonder, will say Mr. Rusakevich, about a prison term for an unregistered small-bore rifle found in a house? In what way will he treat the guilty person, how will he »pull the nerves« because of even one cartridge unlawfully kept in the house?

But I comfort myself that all will come out. This and many other things! The Pushcha sees all, remembers all and will tell all. I fear only one thing: if that rifle in the hands of the unbalanced director will shoot sooner or later and not at an animal. What does a man feel like when he can do whatever he likes with that combat weapon and, in doing so, bears no responsibility at all? He may feel full freedom, knowing that no punishment will follow, insatiability and an instinctive pleasure of killing. He psychologically turns into a potential killer.

Common knowledge, the gun hanging against the wall in the first act of the play, shoots in the second act. Doesn't it, Mr. Rusakevich?