Animal welfare doubts over Sochi Winter Olympics
THE SHINY brochure features cosy chalets, pristine snow-capped mountains and rolling alpine pastures. But Russia's ambitious bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics near the Black Sea resort of Sochi has run into trouble with environmentalists, who say that organisers are planning to build an Olympic bobsleigh run in an area inhabited by bears.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has written to President Vladimir Putin demanding he intervene to save Sochi's national park. It is home to red deer, wild boar, and numerous other species. It is also adjacent to another world heritage site in the snowy Caucasus mountains, which enjoy special Unesco status.
On Wednesday, Igor Chestin, director of WWF's Moscow office, said he had raised the alarm because of plans to develop at least 800 hectares of national park in the Sochi region.
"We are not against the Olympic games or against development in the city of Sochi. But environmental concerns have not been taken into account," he said. "The bears and other animals migrate from the high mountains down to the park in search of food. Their path cuts directly across the proposed bobsleigh run. The government's system of managing environmental protection in Russia is not adequate. We've seen this for many years now." © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006.
(The Hindu, 16th February, 2007)
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