The resolution was passed on the case of a Vladivostok store selling the mittens made of manul's fur. It was admitted to be an administrative infringement. Penalty was inflicted.

As we reported earlier, one of the Vladivostok's stores of the Expedition network was selling mittens made of manul's fur. That's how they were labeled, and that's what the salesmen told the customers. Two years ago it was noticed by a young Vladivostokian, 10-year-old Lisa Yelkina, who wrote to us. The girl knew that manul belonged to the Red List species, and that selling items made of the Red-listed animals was illegal. That year, we didn't manage to catch the sellers red-handed, as the mittens were discontinued. In January this year Lisa and her father checked the stores again. Two of the shops were selling mittens. This time, the stores were raided by WWF and Wildlife Protection and Management Authority in Primorski Krai, where we reported the fact of the mitten being sold.

As a result of the raid, the mittens were confiscated. Expert zoologists of the Biosphere Reserve "Daursky" confirmed that the mittens were made of manul's fur. The case was closed, and the interpreneur paid the penalty of 15000 rubles (about 500 dollars).

'This was the first case in Primorski Krai, when a store owner paid a tangible penalty for selling the items made of the rare animals. Let's hope that this example will teach other entrepreneurs a lesson. They sometimes are thoughtless, ready to sell any product, even made of the rariest animal' says Pavel Fomenko, the coordinator of the Conservation Biodiversity program in the Amur Department of the Russian WWF (read more on WWF website).

Contact: Anna Barashkova savemanul@mail.ru