The Legislative Assembly of the Kamchatka Territory amended the regional law on administrative offenses during its 62nd session on September 15 to establish liability for violating wildlife observation rules within the region.
The legislative update was prompted by a prominent incident in 2025 involving organization employees feeding bear cubs near the Zhirova River.
The regional government had previously approved wildlife observation rules in May 2026. The regulatory document prohibits feeding animals, leaving food waste in their habitats, pursuing animals, destroying their shelters, and engaging in other activities that could harm the local fauna. It also mandates minimum approach distances to wild animals – specifically, observers must remain at least 200 meters away from bears and no closer than 450 meters to wild reindeer and snow sheep.
Under the newly adopted law, violations carry specific financial penalties: for citizens – 1,000 to 2,000 rubles; for officials and individual entrepreneurs – 2,000 to 5,000 rubles; and for legal entities – 5,000 to 10,000 rubles. Official warnings may be issued in certain circumstances in place of monetary fines.
Enforcement of the rules is assigned to the regional Ministry of Forestry and Hunting. The primary objective of these regulations is to prevent conflicts between humans and wildlife while ensuring the preservation of natural animal behavior.
The law will enter into force 10 days following its official publication.