MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian prosecutors initiated a criminal investigation Tuesday into the use of helicopters to hunt endangered goats by senior officials, a case that has revealed the playtime pleasures of Russia's elite.

Seven people died in a helicopter crash in January, including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's personal envoy to parliament and a top regional wildlife protection official.

Environmentalists have said photos from the crash site, in remote mountains near the border with Kazakhstan, appeared to show the hunting party had shot endangered Argali goats -- famed for their large curly horns.

There are only about 200 Argali left in Russia and it is illegal to shoot them.

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