Governor Levchenko (r) shakes hands with a guide after killing a bear.
A Russian governor is in hot water after leaked footage of his hunting habits sparked public outrage. He is now facing prosecution for illegal hunting and his reputation has been marred by the media.
Sergey Levchenko, the governor of Siberia's Irkutsk Region, came under fire from both the law enforcement and national Russian television this week. The cause is the footage of a hunt, in which he and his family members participated and which is seen as highly inappropriate by many people.
In one episode of the hunt, the governor is seen shooting an apparently hibernating bear inside its den as other members of the session cheer on him. In another, a teenage boy, presumably the governor's grandson, is given a rifle and instructions to kill a boar lying inside a cage, which the boy does. The footage was reported by major Russian TV stations while the Prosecutor General ordered to check whether the hunt violated the laws of Russia.
The hunting scandal in Irkutsk started slowly in September when the bear-killing episode was leaked online in a three-minute video. The footage shows the governor first testing out a rifle and later approaching a bear den and shooting inside several times as a guide instructs him what to do. The men present congratulate the official with his first and discuss how the trophy is a good photo opportunity before dragging the slain bear out.
Comment: See also: