A poaching incident in southern Uzbekistan has sparked outrage after a rare Bukhara mountain ram listed in the national Red List has been illegally killed in the Babatag foothills.

Inspectors from the Surkhandarya Regional Department of Ecology uncovered the violation during a routine raid in the state forestry area “Babatag”, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

According to officials, a local resident armed with a hunting rifle unlawfully shot and killed one Bukhara mountain ram - a species under strict state protection.

Authorities classified the act as a serious breach of Uzbekistan’s laws “On Hunting and Hunting Management” and “On the Protection and Use of Wildlife.” Under a Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated December 7, 2023, compensation for destroying a Red List species is calculated at a fixed rate. In this case, the environmental damage is estimated at 412 million soums - equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The suspect now faces not only the obligation to compensate for the environmental loss but also potential criminal liability as investigative procedures continue. The hunting rifle has been seized as evidence, and law enforcement agencies are preparing materials for legal review.

The Bukhara mountain ram is considered one of Central Asia’s rarest wild species, and conservationists warn that poaching poses a persistent threat to fragile mountain ecosystems.