The
Standing Committee on Environment, Food and Agriculture yesterday discussed draft
amendments to the law on hunting and related issues. The law was passed in 2001
and three amendments were made to it the following year. The amendments now
proposed are the first since then. After a long discussion, the committee
referred 20 points to the working group for detailed study.

These include allocating 30% of special hunting fees for use of local
cooperatives, economic entities and organizations, establishing hunting zones, and
involving local residents in animal protection.

Mongolia is believed to have had 40,000 mountain sheep, 140,000 deer and 44,000
musk deer in the 1980s but their number has now fallen considerably. The number
of marmots, foxes, squirrels and steppe foxes is now so low that they have been
named protected species. Poaching for meat and trade in body parts is the main
reason for the numbers coming down drastically. Minister L. Gansukh has called
for strengthening the environment protection system and stricter punishment for
violators. 

The draft also proposes a ban on catching hucho taimen for domestic consumption
and revising the terms for its fishing. It also wants penalties for those who
deal in prohibited products.

D.Enkhbat felt the plan to give local cooperatives money and responsibility will
produce results. MP S.Batbold feared that many wild antelope have died of the
foot and mouth disease. The Minister said about 1,000 infected antelope had been
killed but there are sufficient numbers left. The decline in number of wolves
has affected the prey-predator ratio and is one reason why the disease spreads
in the wild.