Itera International Group of Companies Celebrates Putin's Work With Endangered Cranes
04 October 2012 - 8:00PM
Marketwired
As the United States enters the heart of its presidential election
season, the sight of candidates making publicity stops is hardly
unusual. In Russia, meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has
undertaken a publicity appearance of another sort -- not on behalf
of his own political interests, but to draw attention to a species
of endangered cranes. The president recently took flight with the
cranes, via motorized hang glider, all in an effort to draw
attention to the ongoing work to rehabilitate this rare species of
bird. The president's involvement with the project has won the
support of Itera International Group of Companies.
According to the Telegraph, Mr. Putin not only helped to release
the birds -- a rare species known as sterkh cranes, which have been
raised in nurseries -- back into the wild, but he also flew with
them, even attempting to assume the position of "lead" crane in
their flying formation. The release of the cranes is the
culmination of the Flight of Hope project, a long-running
collaboration between Russian scientists and Itera International
Group of Companies, designed to salvage these rare cranes.
Only 20 of these sterkh cranes still exist in the wild; as for
President Putin, his love for wildlife, and passion for
conservation, are well known. Itera International Group of
Companies has been a proud sponsor and financial supporter of the
Flight of Hope project since 2005.
The release of the sterkh cranes is said to be the critical
stage of the project. As the cranes migrate south, they will be
monitored by scientists, zealous to ensure that the birds reach
their destination and reproduce. The flight of the cranes also
represents the stage that Itera believes will draw the most
publicity and general support for the project, particularly with
the involvement of President Putin.
George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane
Foundation, has applauded the initiative: "Congratulations to Itera
and the crane team for cultivating the interest of Mr. Putin in
Flight of Hope. Let us hope that such high-level involvement will
create a fertile partnership between the Russian Government and
Itera in reestablishing self-sustaining migratory populations of
Siberian Cranes along the traditional migration routes." The Itera
endeavor has also won praise from U.S. State Department spokesman
Patrick Ventrell, who affirmed President Putin's "personal
involvement" and his commitment to wildlife conservation.
Igor Makarov, head of Itera International Group of Companies,
also commented on the commencement of the expedition: "We have been
supporting The Flight of Hope Project since 2005. A huge amount of
work has been accomplished through the initiative of the Ministry
for Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources of the
Russian Federation, along with the involvement of Itera, to
establish the required infrastructure: open-air cages in the Oka
Reserve have been modernized; meanwhile, five hang gliders, which
make the core material base of The Flight of Hope Project, have
been constructed, tested, and adjusted for the Project's needs."
Continues Makarov, "These unique birds, currently only twenty in
the whole world, need continuous help and attention. We are
absolutely happy that the Project has won assistance at the top
level and was supported personally by the head of the state."
Itera International Group of companies is a leading supplier of
energy, including oil and gas, throughout Russia and the rest of
the world. The company is known for its strong stance in support of
environmental conservation and wildlife preservation.
ABOUT:
Itera International Group of Companies is a vertically
integrated company founded in 1992, with dozens of enterprises in
the NIS, Baltic States, Western Europe, Asia, and the United
States. Since 1994, Itera's main business activity has been natural
gas. Starting in 1998, Itera Oil and Gas Company, within the Itera
Group, has been expanding its own gas production in the
Yamal-Nenets region of Russia and has invested over two billion
dollars into infrastructure. Overall, over 250 billion cubic meters
of gas were produced at Itera's gas fields. The total volume of gas
sold by Itera has surpassed 600 billion cubic meters. Itera's
strategic business developments are also reaching into development,
biochemical, and power generating segments.
The American division of the company, Itera USA, was founded in
1992. In addition to their work in the energy industry, Itera USA
has also found success in timber, real estate, and more. Itera
always welcomes new ideas, and strives to build bridges between
peoples and cultures through the implementation of quality energy
solutions.