In 2000, Vladimir Schetinin, Inspection Tiger’s founding chief, was
forced into retirement, and with him went much of his hand-picked staff,
including Trush. Shortly afterward, Trush’s squad mate, Alexander
Gorborukov, committed suicide. Subsequent “reorganizations” at all
levels of government have led to staff and funding cuts that have left the
agency’s future in doubt. In 2008, Sasha Lazurenko was the only member
of the team still affiliated with Inspection Tiger, but since the shake-up in
2000, its power to effectively enforce the law in the forest has been
steadily whittled away, and undermined by allegations of corruption
under the new chief (he was replaced in 2009). Salaries and morale have
diminished accordingly. The current state of things becomes clear after a
visit to their offices. When it was first created, Inspection Tiger was
based in downtown Vladivostok with the State Committee of Ecology;
after 2000, it was banished to the second floor of an obscure housing
project, two bus connections and an hour’s travel away.
“That’s why I left,” said Trush. “That’s why I came to work in a
federal national park. Here, we have the status of state inspectors: I have
the authority to write a report and follow it through. If I catch someone, I
have the authority [as he once had in Inspection Tiger] to push the matter
to the very end.”
Talking to Inspection Tiger’s alumni now is kind of like reminiscing
with a successful rock band or sports team that has broken up and fallen
on hard times. Those years, 1994–2000, were glory days. They had good
training, respectable salaries, high morale, a strong media presence, and
real power. With the necessary equipment—uniforms, vehicles, guns,
cameras, and fuel—to do their job properly, the public respected them,
and so did poachers. They even had a community outreach program
through which they visited schools to talk about their work and the
importance of a healthy, intact environment (Trush continues to do this).
At a time when cynicism and corruption seemed to be the order of the day
in Primorye, Inspection Tiger offered an alternative and, for the most
part, its members took pride in being part of something that was having a
tangible, positive impact on the territory. For many of these men, their
work with Inspection Tiger represents one of the best, most empowered
ron
(Ron)
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