Bulgarian Court Confirms Bat-Harming Expendables Shooting Illegal
Society | November 29, 2012, Thursday // 09:26| views
The spectacular entrance to the Devetashka Cave in central northern Bulgaria. File photo
Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court has confirmed a lower-instance court ruling which determined that shooting of scenes of Hollywood movie "The Expendables 2" in Bulgaria's Devetashka Cave was in breach of environmental regulations.
The case was opened by Bulgarian environmental organization Zeleni Balkani against the Pleven Regional Environmental Inspectorate (RIOSV), which granted a permission for the film shooting in the cave.
Environmentalists argued that the inspectorate broke regulations by granting such a permission in a protected area, which is home to one of the largest bat colonies in South Eastern Europe.
They further claimed that the fall 2011 movie shooting significantly harmed the bats, who were then preparing for hibernation.
The court decision was appealed, chiefly on procedural reasons, but the appeal was not upheld by the Supreme Administrative Court, which is the last instance in the case.
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