By Mark Zoarob | Staff Writer
Social media is filled with graphic images and videos showing young men from the town of Sheikh Zennad in Akkar shooting at a sizable flock of white storks with military-style weapons, resulting in several of the birds dying. According to reports, over 100 birds were either killed or injured during the shooting, which some social media users referred to as a “massacre”.
In images that circulated online, dozens of wild storks that had been migrating north annually appeared to have been shot. The birds’ low flying altitude suggested they were resting, as migratory birds fly lower before rising again. The storks planned to stop and refuel in North Lebanon, as they regularly do on their route to Europe for the breeding season.
According to a ministry statement, the Environmental Prosecutor in Lebanon’s North has launched an investigation into the unlawful poaching of migrating birds in Akkar over the weekend, after a request from caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin. According to the statement, the minister asked for security forces’ assistance in pursuing alleged breaches of the hunting legislation.
Mukhtar Zaher Kassar remarked, “Such shootings are common when migrating birds fly over Lebanon, but yesterday was especially intense.” In Lebanon, hunting during the breeding season, which occurs in the spring, in addition to shooting migrating birds is illegal. Furthermore, only a few species of birds are legal to hunt in Lebanon. The Organization for Bird Conservation in Lebanon (ABCL) reports that each spring, thousands of white storks are unlawfully shot down in Lebanon.
In fact, it is estimated that every year when they travel across Lebanon, 2.6 million birds are unlawfully slaughtered. According to research by BirdLife International on the unlawful slaughter of birds in the Mediterranean, this places Lebanon as the fourth most hazardous nation in the region regarding the number of birds killed.
In order to stop crimes against wildlife from occurring in the first place and hold poachers accountable, it is crucial to report such violations. Reporting on such events aids in educating the public about the dangers and repercussions of these crimes, as well as voicing the need for wildlife protection.