Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor:  Joseph Golder,  Agency: Newsflash

Two policemen and an MP have been slammed for reportedly shooting a protected golden eagle while out hunting.

The incident took place in the southern Ukrainian region of Odessa Oblast and a photo of three hunters holding up a dead golden eagle by its wings has been widely shared on social media.

According to local media, the men in the photo have been identified as two local cops Maxim Timotin and Nikolay Cherny while the third man, whose name was undisclosed, was identified on social networks as an MP.

The photo was shared on Facebook by netizen ‘Demyan Ganul’ who said: “We should not let officials kill animals and birds in the Red Book. The culprits should face punishment, which in this case would be up to seven years behind bars.”

The Russian Red Data Book documents rare and endangered species of animals, as does the Ukrainian Red Data Book. Both list the golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) as a vulnerable species.

Several days later, ‘Demyan Ganul’ posted photos of a burned-out car that he said was his and was, in his opinion, set ablaze because of his previous post about the hunters.

He has reported the incident to the local police.

Newsflash contacted Demyan for further comment, but he has yet to respond.

The identity of the third hunter in the photo still remains unclear.

It is also unknown whether the local authorities are looking into the allegations that the trio killed a protected animal. The suspects could reportedly face between five and seven years in prison.

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