that, in the absence of something so small and so humble, an entire
ecosystem—from tigers to mice—could collapse.
Markov had become part of this age-old cycle of consumption and
dispersal; he was both its agent and dependent, accomplice and
beneficiary. But on that humid August afternoon, he had other things on
his mind. Trush and Gorborukov were watching for him and he returned
nineteen minutes later, bearing a sawed-off shotgun. The gun was in poor
condition and Markov had cut it down, not to make it more lethal, but
simply to keep it functioning as the muzzle had been damaged. Whether
this was his only firearm, Trush couldn’t be certain, but Markov had
fulfilled his obligation and Trush was satisfied. He held up his end of the
deal and kept his citation book in his pocket. After telling Markov to stay
out of trouble, he and Gorborukov continued on their way, but no one
present that day had any illusions that this would be their last encounter.
This was an age-old game they were engaged in, this hunting of hunters.
Robin Hood started out as a poacher, too, and the current situation in
Primorye bears striking similarities to that found in the forests of
Western Europe five hundred years ago.
The combination of Russia’s current hunting regulations and gun
licensing policy has effectively re-created the medieval laws that forbade
peasants to own weapons or to hunt. Then, as now, the complementary
forces of logging and hunting had seriously impacted European forests
and the game they supported. As a result, most intact woodlands doubled
as game reserves and were off limits to everyone with the exception of
noble hunting parties. An analogous situation has developed in parts of
post-perestroika Russia where legal hunting has become a luxury
accessible only to the rich. In a sincere effort to protect existing game
populations, the number of hunting licenses has been drastically reduced
in Primorye with one result being that the few remaining permits go,
inevitably, to the wealthy and well connected. Unfortunately, the wealthy
and well connected often approach the forest and its creatures with the
same sense of entitlement their medieval counterparts did, only without
the discipline, skill, or ceremony. There is a sense among many of
Russia’s nouveau riche that they are above the law, and many of them
ron
(Ron)
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