TBILISI, October 30 – Georgia’s environmental inspectors have stepped up patrols around a mountain resort after its founder said near-daily gunfire was frightening guests and causing some to leave early.
Interpressnews reported that Tamaz Mchedlidze, founder of the Bioli Wellness Resort, raised the alarm on social media, describing repeated shooting around the property and suggesting hunters were responsible.
The Environmental Supervision Department said it had received no previous complaint from Bioli through its regional office or hotline. It has now placed the surrounding area under close observation, with environmental patrols and rapid-response teams doing frequent inspections.
There have so far been no confirmed hunting-related violations that could explain the reported gunfire.
Bioli is located in the forested Kojori recreational zone, about 15 kilometres from central Tbilisi and approximately 1,200 metres above sea level. The resort markets itself as a quiet mountain retreat offering accommodation, medical assessments and wellness programs.
But even though the property appears to lie far from the capital, it is located inside Tbilisi’s administrative boundary, where hunting is illegal.
Georgia’s hunting rules prohibit shooting within the administrative boundaries of cities. Hunting is also banned inside state reserves and national parks, within 500 metres of a reserve and within 250 metres of a national park.
The department said it had recorded 10 hunting-rule violations inside Tbilisi since the migratory-bird hunting season opened in August.
The complaint is part of a pattern of enforcement problem, in that Georgian environmental inspectors have recorded over a thousand hunting-rule violations since mid August, with the largest numbers reported in Imereti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Guria.
Inspectors have previously found hunters operating near the capital with firearms and electronic bird-call devices, which are prohibited during hunting.
The department urged residents to report suspected illegal hunting through its free 153 hotline.
