In a video uploaded yesterday, a young boy named Mario is urged on by men to push a helpless kitten from the balcony. The men offer $10 for the boy to push the cat from the ledge of the forth floor. They urge him on, Mario pushes the helpless kitten, and she falls four stories to the parking lot below and dies.
This is not the first time such abuse is filmed and put online. A couple weeks ago there was a video of a group of people abusing a rabbit, before that a video of a dog outside of Saida that was strung up and tortured, before that a video of a donkey drug behind a car before finally being hanged and killed, before that Bousbous the cat put in a microwave...
We do not believe it is the culture of Lebanese to be cruel to animals, especially when we see so many good people making a difference for animals every day.
But there is a significant and widespread lack of education and awareness when it comes to animals, their needs, and their importance to all of us. A lack of awareness does not excuse such a behavior - anyone who abuses an animal, films it, stands around watching, or uploads it for all to see should be held accountable.
When such deliberate and avoidable abuses occur we encourage the media to discuss the issue and urge the relevant authorities to act strongly. Everyone from the Ministers to the municipality and general prosecutor has a responsibility.
And we use these cases to highlight the urgent need to enact the national animal protection and welfare law. This is a strong law, increasing our compliance with two international conventions, and addresses all areas where animals are kept or used in any way. Combining this law with a national education program about animals will significantly improve animal welfare, and better allow the government, organizations, and the public to act when abuse does occur.
Unfortunately, until Parliament meets to enact this law, we will be shocked - but not surprised - when this happens again.