By Fadi Skandar
I was born into a family that, from one generation to another, has always loved hunting. Over time, our love of hunting has taught us to love nature, something that has made me feel certain that if we conserve the environment (nature, birds…), this will positively impact us and our children, especially in the future.
We in Hammana are fortunate to have a municipality that is aware of this issue and that has worked in coordination with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) and the children of Hammana to create the Hammana hima, a sort of nature reserve that I was one of the first to visit for the purpose of hunting ,and where I watched the passage of the many diverse birds that pass through it (such as the wild pigeon, roar swallow, and many types of sparrows …) and I enjoyed watching them without disturbing them, and even requested the hunters who frequent the site to leave them alone.
I also used to hunt pheasants and refrained from catching them randomly. I am a hound breeder and hounds must be taught to hunt birds which it is permitted to hunt, to be hunted at certain times of year and in limited quantities. As sustainable hunters, we believe in maintaining the hobby of sustainable hunting for our children and educating hunters as much as possible to urge them to troll with awareness and sophistication, respect for nature and birds, and to maintain the cleanliness of their surroundings, which is essential and important.
