State Duma Deputy and former world heavyweight boxing champion Nikolai Valuev will not be charged with illegal hunting after he shot dead a bear, a beaver and a duck while on a hunting trip in Arkhangelsk, a news report said Tuesday.
The story came to light after Valuev posted pictures of the hunt on a social-networking site, including an image of himself with the dead bear and another of him pulling a beaver out of the water by its tail. Journalists pointed out that it was illegal to hunt bears and beavers in the region in spring, RIA-Novosti reported.
While beaver hunting is forbidden in May, Valuev's actions do not constitute a crime as beaver hunting does not cause major damage to wildlife in the Arkhangelsk region, the regional Investigative Committee said.
Furthermore, Valuev had all of the permits required for bear and duck hunting at that time of year, the investigators' report said.
The Investigative Committee has sent its material to the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry, which will decide whether to initiate administrative proceedings.
