‘Massacred for TikTok likes’: is social media feeding the slaughter of 2.6m birds in Lebanon?

Hunting migratory birds is illegal in the country, but a series of crises means enforcement is derisory and many birds are being shot just for fun'

Shell casings litter a meadow on Mount Terbol in northern Lebanon. The valley below falls along one of the world's busiest routes for migratory birds. The mountain peak, buffeted by harsh winds, creates a natural corridor that encourages birds fatigued from long journeys between Africa and Eurasia to fly at low altitudes.

Those low-flying birds are easy targets for poachers who live in the mountain communities, says Michel Sawan, director of the Lebanese Association of Migratory Birds (Lamb). They say: We inherited this culture from our grandfathers,' and I keep saying: Your grandfathers are and were wrong.'"