Animals in Lebanon are suffering a lot, due to severe unawareness among a large number of people. Recently, many cats and dogs have died due to a deadly poison being placed in various places in the country. While municipalities deny putting Lannate on the streets to get rid of dogs and cats, animal lovers confirm that they have proof revealing that there is lannate all over the streets.
Photos of sweets kittens and puppies that have been killed by eating the poison, are filling every animal lover’s newsfeed, and media outlets are now highlighting the issue of lannate. In this article, we shed light on the dangers of this fatal poison on both animals and humans, while telling you sad stories just to see the picture as it is.
The 4th of October was #world_animal_day, and there are still ongoing celebrations in many places of the world… but at the same time, many people will be celebrating it remembering their cats, dogs, or other pets that were poisoned and killed in a way or another. This article is for you, if you have lost your animal. It is also a tribute for everyone caring about our loving companions; animals, and fighting for their rights.
We will only share with you one story, found in a Facebook post written by May Abdel Malak. It is really sad to read such a story: “I know this seems silly to some people if not most, but yes I’m in deep pain and grief due to the loss of my special dog, best friend, companion, even protector: Hailey
You see my dog died in the most horrible way due to poisoning. She ingested a blue piece of meat before I could see and stop her, which after 12 minutes led my dog to suffocate and grasp for her breath, while bleeding, for the longest 14 minutes in my life where in that time i was trying my best to save her but unfortunately failed… For all dog owners, lovers and rescuers please watch out for that dried piece of meat that is covered in the blue powder as you can see in the below pics; as we have learned that they have been spread on a large scale here in Aley especially here in the Ketteneh area. And before someone decides to tell me to get my facts right, do note that this morning i went for a walk where i managed to pick up more than 11 pieces of that meat.
To my Hailey wailey may your loving soul rest in peace”.
The animal lover Tony Mousawwer confirmed to “greenarea.info” the presence of the poison in many Lebanese regions, and left us with sad photos of animals that have passed away, due to the consumption of Lannate. He also mentioned that “one of the most dangerous places Lannate is being placed, is near ice-cream fridges, and this is not just dangerous to animals, but to humans as well”.
Mousawwer said sadly: “These animals died for no reason”, while animal lovers filled the page with comments showing their support for animals’ guardians, and angers towards those harming the “sweet creatures”.
We will remind you of what we mentioned in previous articles about the Fatal poison: Lannate is the commercial name, Dr. Naji Kodeih, Environmental Expert at “greenarea.info”, and Doctor in Toxicology explained, adding that “its scientific name is Methomyl, and it is a carbamate insecticide, that is highly toxic to humans and pets. It is low persistent in the environment (about 14 days), and it might contaminate groundwater.”
Dr. Joseph Ahwash has said in an interview we conducted in July with him, that “Poisoning animals in this harsh way results in the animals’ death within a few minutes”, adding that “the animals lose control, and this is accompanied by involuntary contractions, resulting in choking and rapid death”.
“The process needs a few seconds to 5 minutes maximum to take place”. Added to that “involuntary contractions result in severe pain, that could be rated by 4/5”.
The poisoning of animals in this way is contrary to the protection and welfare of animals’ law, and specifically, to the first item of Article IV thereof, which stipulates that “Unless otherwise specified under this Law, it is prohibited to perform any act that may inflict distress, pain or suffering to animals or subject them to danger or torture.” The sanctions, in case of the violation of any of the provisions of that law, are “paying a fine ranging from three to ten million Lebanese pounds.” Will the law submitted by “Animals Lebanon Association” in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, be implemented? What prevents that?
The poison “Lannate” is banned from use in most countries, as the vets told us. In Lebanon, a ministerial decision which was issued around a month ago, banned the importation of “lannate,” especially since the issue of the carcinogenic agricultural pesticides was highlighted.
However, the quantities in the market are still being sold. Users of this poison might resort to finding ways to smuggle it to Lebanon, and sell it in the market for years ahead, arguing that “the quantities in the market have not finished yet.”
The following are some pictures of innocent animals that had nothing to do with human cruelty… They were poisoned in many areas in Lebanon:
Share your thoughts on this article through... My twitter account: @Zeina_w_Nasser E-mail: [email protected]
