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.

A two-week old argali mountain goat stands next to a domestic sheep wich became his surrogate mother in Amaty zoo in this file photo from April 12, 2001. AS

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.

Prosecutors had already started investigating how the helicopter could crash in good weather, but had not acted on calls from environmentalists and a petition signed by 6,000 people to investigate the shooting of the Argali.

The photos and accusations of illegal hunting by Russian officials helped catapult the story into newspapers and grabbed the attention of ordinary Russians.

“By referring this case to the investigation committee, the Prosecutor-General considers that this incident drew widespread public attention,” Interfax news agency quoted Marina Gridnyeva, a spokeswoman from the Prosecutor-General’s office, as saying.

The Prosecutor-General’s office confirmed it had referred the case to the investigation committee which launches criminal cases but declined further comment.

Vladimir Krever, head of green group WWF’s biosphere program in Russia, said hunting from helicopters was illegal in Russia but was a pastime favored by some wealthy hunters, who are prepared to pay up to $2,000 per hour.

“This has only been revealed because of the air crash,” he said. “This is the first case where there has been such an investigation and where the public will know real reasons and results of illegal hunting.”

Four people survived the crash, including the Altai region’s deputy governor although he has since resigned.