From November to February, a regulated cull of animals will be carried out in Chernihiv Oblast. Hunters have been allowed to kill "predatory and harmful animals", which include wolves, foxes and raccoon dogs, among others.
This was reported by the media outlet "Suspilne", citing a response from the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Chernihiv Oblast State Administration.
The cull is being carried out on the basis of a decision of the Oblast Defence Council of 15 September 2026. The killing of animals must comply with the requirements of Article 33 of the Law "On Hunting Management and Hunting".
"These steps have been taken to prevent the spread of rabies and improve public safety, as well as to maintain the ecological balance in the region," the Oblast State Administration said, justifying the decision.
Territorial exceptions and other restrictions
The regulated cull of predatory and harmful animals is permitted across almost the entire oblast, with the following exceptions:
- Novhorod-Siverskyi district – Ponornytsia, Korop, Novhorod-Siverskyi and Semenivka hromadas;
- Koriukivka district – Koriukivka, Snovsk, Kholmy and Sosnytsia hromadas;
- Chernihiv district – Sedniv, Tupychiv, Horodnia, Ripky, Dobrianka, Liubech, Novyi Bilous, Honcharivske, Desna, Kyinka and Kyselivka hromadas.
"Regulating the numbers of predatory and harmful animals in the oblast's forests is prohibited," the department added.
The cull may only take place on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at a distance of at least 500 m from the boundaries of settlements. Hunting is allowed only under the supervision of an official of the hunting ground user. A single hunting team may have up to 20 hunters.
Chernihiv Oblast is far from the only region where local administrations have resumed hunting. In particular, bird hunting has been permitted in Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytskyi and Zakarpattia oblasts. Later, hunting was allowed in Poltava and Odesa oblasts. This sparked outrage among the public and experts.
As a reminder, rabies is fought through vaccination. In September, an autumn campaign was launched to distribute bait containing the vaccine in forests across Ukraine.
