"Couldn't they really have taken sand from another place?" A quarry was dug near Minsk — birds suffered
This weekend, a quarry began to be dug in the village of Rusinovichi, Minsk district, where dozens of swallows had already built nests. The work was carried out by the agricultural enterprise "Vostok". This was reported on Threads by local resident Sofia. The post gathered hundreds of indignant comments.
Onliner journalists contacted the girl to find out the details of the incident.
— We mostly come to the village on weekends and love to stroll around the neighborhood. And so, on Saturday evening, June 6, near the quarry on the outskirts of Rusinovichi, we noticed equipment from the Agro-Industrial Complex "Vostok", agitated swallows flying around it, and destroyed nests. We watched the birds making their homes, admired them, and then people just came and started destroying their home, — says Sofia. Local residents approached the workers with arguments that their actions might be illegal.
We remind you that in Belarus, a strict seasonal ban on the destruction of bird nests is in effect from February 16 to August 14 (inclusive).
According to Sofia, their words were ignored, and the complex's employees continued their work.
— About 20 of us gathered, we called the Ministry of Natural Resources, but no one answered — it was 6 PM on Saturday, their day off. Then we called the police. As Sofia said, police officers arrived at the scene, but they explained to the residents that such cases are still within the competence of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Work continued on Sunday morning.
— Later, I was contacted by the Minsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and was told that they could not reach the management of the Agro-Industrial Complex "Vostok," — says Sofia. — We called the police again, and only after that the work was suspended. I have already left the village, but neighbors report that everything is quiet there for now.
According to the girl, this is not the first conflict between the enterprise and local residents. In winter, people from Rusinovichi opposed the felling of trees and wrote an appeal to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Then "Vostok" was fined. This time, the locals are also absolutely determined.
— The workers argued that they had a permit for these works. But they see that where they are digging, there are swallows' nests. Couldn't they really have taken sand from another place, at least while the birds are raising their offspring?
Not all of the swallows' offspring were destroyed by the equipment, but a significant part of it, local residents claim.
We contacted a representative of the agricultural enterprise "Vostok" for a comment. They recommended sending an official request. If we receive information, we will update the news.
Onliner's journalist also contacted zoologist Alexander Vinchevsky from the company "Wild Nature" to learn his opinion on the situation.
— As far as I understand, destroying nests from February 16 to August 14 is only allowed if there is a special permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Otherwise, such actions are a violation of Article 19 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On the Animal World," and they are punishable by a fine. This means that decisions should be made by competent authorities. Quickly, if the enterprise planned to dig this quarry, it was necessary to arrange for the swallows to leave the place when they only started digging nests. And the birds would move to another location. Or "Vostok" should have invited a specialist to suggest where the quarry could be dug without harming the swallows. Their burrows are deep — about 1 meter, but the quarry is also quite large. Another option: simply wait until the chicks fly out of the nests. Sand martins have only one brood per year — after 1-1.5 months, one could calmly dig, — said Alexander Vinchevsky.
The Minsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection noted that they have been monitoring the situation since the weekend:
— The head of the Minsk District Inspectorate for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection went to the site. There is currently no equipment at the quarry. There are signs that work was being carried out, but no dead birds or other facts of crime have been found. We informed the land user that there is now a strict ban on the destruction of nests, — explained Tatyana Bas, head of the department for control over the protection and use of lands, subsoil, biodiversity, and specially protected territories.
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