After a tipoff from the Litani Authority, the Anti-Poaching Unit APU, which is part of the Middle East Sustainable Hunting Center (MESHC) and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) in partnership with the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and in cooperation with the security forces, the Fish and Wildlife Unit (FWU) of SPNL and responsible hunters in the West Bekaa region took action and rescued four Common Kestrel falcons.
Three of them were eye-tied which was proof that they were used for illegal hunting near Qaroun Lake where hunting is officially banned by authorities.
The falcons have been placed in the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) center in Chtoura after removing the eyes cover. They will be taken to the vet to make sure they are healthy and able to return to nature.
Falcons are trained to be used for hunting. Their instinct is to hunt for small game, and they are trained to take off and land on their keepers gloved arm before and after catching their prey.
Falcons have excellent eyesight which they use to locate their prey. To keep them quiet and not distracted the illegal hunter puts a small hood over their heads and removes it when they are about to release the bird to hunt. The birds are trained to know that the removal of the hood is a signal to start searching for prey.
The common kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. This project is implemented with the support of the EV New LIFE project, under the EU fund.
Good to mention that Mr. Jamil al Mays, businessman, hunter, and head of the “Hunting Legends Group”, has installed five cages and two chambers at the disposal of the Antipoaching unit (APU) in the Chtoura, to treat and rehabilitate migratory birds before returning them to the wild.
CABS Director Axel Khrushveld, CABS Media Officer Lloyd Scott, and Head of the Middle East Center for Sustainable Hunting MESHC/Field Coordinator of the responsible hunting issue at SPNL, Adonis Khatib, Secretary of the West and Central Bekaa Region at APU Kamal Agha, and Assistant Head of the first aid department at the APU Shiraz Khatib paid a visit to thank Mr. Al-Mays for his kind gesture, which shows that the culture of pro-regulations hunters is one of love and protection of nature and has nothing to do with the mentality of the poacher.
