BUDAPEST: Two men have been arrested in Hungary over the shooting of a wolf, officials said Friday, with the nine-year-old son of one of them suspected of having killed the protected animal.
The wolf -- outfitted with a tracking device -- reportedly migrated from Switzerland to Hungary, where he was shot by the minor in northeastern Hungary in early April, Miskolc District Court said in a statement.
The boy went on a hunting trip in the outskirts of Hidasnemeti, carrying the licensed hunting firearm of his father, the statement added.
He was accompanied by his father's adult friend, who had been entrusted to watch over the minor.
The boy eventually shot the wolf after which they put the animal's carcass in a car and disposed of its tracking collar, the court said.
The investigation is still ongoing, but if proven guilty, the two men face charges ranging from endangering a minor to the misuse of a firearm for poaching, it added.
A Hungarian court ordered the two men held until 4 September due to flight risk and the potential destruction of evidence, a statement said.
“Illegal killing of highly protected species is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison,“ World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Hungary said in a statement published on Facebook.
“In addition, the nature conservation authority can also impose... fines on offenders, which can be in the order of millions,“ it added. -AFP