Today, we delivered a significant blow to illegal wildlife crime during the peak autumn migration season 🍂. Working with our partners and with rapid support from the Internal Security Forces (Halba and Abdeh Police Stations), we targeted a large-scale trapping installation in Halba, North Lebanon.
What we discovered was shocking: over 3,300 meters of mist nets stretched across lemon orchards and open fields — an industrial-scale setup capable of killing thousands of migratory birds every single day .
Thanks to swift coordination with the police, every single net and piece of equipment has been removed, destroyed, and seized. More than 250 birds were rescued, along with an owl and a bat.
This is a major victory for Lebanon’s migratory birds and for all those committed to protecting nature and promoting responsible hunting.
The Judicial Follow-Up Section of the Anti-Poaching Unit is now working with the security forces and judiciary to ensure strict legal action against those responsible.
We’re not stopping here — spot checks will continue all season to keep Lebanon’s skies safe for migratory birds.
International teams from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) — including experts from the UK, Germany, and Turkey — are joining forces with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) and the Middle East Sustainable Hunting Center (MESHC). Together, and in close coordination with the ISF and the Lebanese Army, they are monitoring key migratory bottlenecks, investigating trapping hotspots, and disrupting illegal practices such as the use of nets and limesticks across mountain passes, coastal areas, and the Beqaa Valley.
About the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU)
The APU is jointly operated by MESHC and SPNL. It is supported by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, in collaboration with BirdLife International and in partnership with CABS. All operations are carried out in close coordination with Lebanese authorities, including the Internal Security Forces, the Intelligence and Investigations Branch, and Military Intelligence. The work of the APU also contributes to the BioConnect Project a 45-month initiative funded by the EU running through October 2025.
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#SPNL #MESHC #CABS #AntiPoachingUnit #BirdsLebanon #MigratoryBirds #StopPoaching #Hima #NatureProtection #LebanonNature #BirdConservation #WildlifeProtection #AutumnMigration #EcoLebanon #ProtectWhatYouLove
