In the latest of crimes against nature, thousands of migrating white storks were shot down as they took a migration passage over Lebanon.
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) NGO detailed several crimes against migratory white storks that took place as they moved across Lebanon.
In one instance, a gunned-down stork was found in Beqaa in the hands of two armed men riding a motorcycle. They claimed that they found it and wanted to keep it as a pet.
As the flocks of storks moved north, they were shot at upon their arrival above Byblos, Koura, and in the northernmost Lebanese district, Akkar, where shooters used military-grade weapons.
The storks were planning to rest and refuel in North Lebanon as they always do while on their migration to Europe for the breeding season, explained Roger Saad, a member of the Association for Bird Conservation in Lebanon (ABCL).
However, poachers decided to shoot at the migrating birds, injuring and killing several, despite it not being hunting season.
Not only is it illegal to shoot migratory birds in Lebanon, but it is also forbidden to hunt during the breeding season, which is in spring. Additionally, bird hunting in Lebanon is only acceptable for specific kinds of species.
According to the Association for Bird Conservation in Lebanon (ABCL), thousands of white storks get illegally shot down in Lebanon every spring. While some have a hobby of birdwatching, others load their weapons, ABCL noted.
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