(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, FEBRUARY 8 - All are equal under the law, or
at least should be in every country in the world, but exceptions
are clearly made for the rich, or rather the very rich. Algeria
for example has always been very strict in the field of animal
protection. If you are an Algerian citizen and you are caught
poaching with some old shotgun, you could end up in prison for
several years. But if you are a Saudi sheikh and you love to try
the ancient art of falconry, then everything changes. This is in
fact happening in Dhayet Bellegwmiri, 20 kilometres from
Hassi-Delaa, where a vast camp has been set up in a very short
time. The well-equipped camp is occupied by a group of noble
Saudis who love hunting with their falcons. Their favourite pray
animals are bustards (large migratory birds that come to North
Africa from Europe to winter) and gazelles. Their equipment
gives them quite an edge over their possible victims: off-road
vehicles able to drive fast on the sandy terrain; GPS,
telescopes and more cutting-edge technology. They also use
sophisticated communication systems and field kitchens, a far
cry from the way common people in Algeria hunt.
According to newspaper La Liberte', which has denounced the
situation quoting its own sources, nearly all assistants of the
Saudi princes are Yemenite nationals, while the Saudis have
hired locals who know the hunting grounds well to guide them to
their pray. But the nationality of the dozens of armed men who
protect the Saudi princes is unclear.
Algerian animal protection activists have underlined that
hunting the targeted species is absolutely forbidden in the
area, as well as hunting other species on the endangered list.
But local residents have pointed out that the mad hunt on
bustards has a very ''human'' motive. The meet of this large
wader, particularly its heart and liver, are thought to be
highly aphrodisiac, as much as the famous coloured pills. But
the hunted animals, like the bustard and many gazelle species
living in Algeria, are protected by Algerian legislation. But
pecunia non olet ("money does not stink'') and apparently it is
easy to turn a blind eye to an activity that is still poaching,
but one that brings in a lot of money. (ANSAmed).
