The only words I can use is Barbarians! People in some countries are very uneducated, low life with wrong twisted mind. They call themselves Muslims… (Translation from Arabic; Mus ull Man means Man who believes in God) then how Man who believes in God can destroy God’s creations, where in Koran it says to kill animals in cruel way. Their religion leaders brainwashing everyone and they are far away from God’s Law! Shame on them! They are not Humans and do not deserve to be on this Earth created by God!

These photos alone show a wide range of species being targeted -White Storks, so beloved and protected by Eastern European nations, White Pelicans, Bee-eaters, Swallows, Hoopoes, the declining European Roller, Honey Buzzards, White Wagtails, Wheatears… etc etc. This is simply unsustainable. The birds are forced along a narrow front by the region’s geographical features and so are vulnerable over this narrow stretch of the Mediterranean. The result is that Lebanese hunters have a disproportionately serious impact on these birds as they a re funnelled through this migratory bottleneck. Yes, the French kill Ortolan Buntings for a special dish and there are still big problems with illegal hunting on Malta, Spain, Italy and so it is true the Europeans, to their shame, are not innocent. However, there are active campaigns to stop these practices and there are arrests and prosecutions, which very much helps to reduce these activities. You won’t see illegal hunters in Europe so fearless of prosecution that they post their crimes on facebook! The situation in Lebanon is so big and so serious that the actions in Europe look like nothing in comparison. This is like Malta x 100 in scale and could really threaten a number of migratory species.

These birds are guests in Lebanon and should be treated with respect. True hunters would only take what they need – they would not kill everything that they saw for fun. Lebanon has an amazing natural gift that could bring many tourists to visit to see these birds, if they were protected. It is difficult to have respect for a country that so freely destroys the birds that are so precious to Europe and Africa – they belong to everyone, not just Lebanese hunters. Lebanon has many good things – its muti-religious society, its good food, its history and natural beauty, its relative tolerance for a Middle eastern country. This destruction of wildlife, however, shames Lebanon and is a stain on its reputation. It makes Lebanon look ignorant, prehistoric and greedy. Please, Lebanon, you can stop this and gain a lot of respect from the rest of the world.

Animal cruelty is not restricted to a region. Bullfighting is practiced on 4 continents, but Spain & South American nations get most of the shaming. I guess we get offended the most when we see such ecological crimes committed against wild birds, which in the human psyche symbolize higher ideals like freedom & love.

My uncles too used to hunt, but not systematically massacre the birds like in the story and the facebook page. The most they’d do to the corpse after the fact is taxidermy. But to shove a lit cigarette between the beaks? That’s a novelty.

There was an article in the New York Times this week about songbirds that are hunted in France for a special dish. So the Europeans are not immune to this barbarism it seems.