“Lebanon Debate”
Circulating news about a lion escaping from one of the pens in the plain of the town of Labweh sparked a state of anxiety among the people, after a warning was widely spread calling for caution and not to approach the animal, before the story changed within hours and information spread about it being found and returned to its pen.
The story began with the circulation of a message under the title “Urgent alert to the people of Al-Labweh,” which talked about “a lion escaping from its enclosure in the town’s plain and being spotted in the area,” and called on the people to “exercise caution and not approach it or try to catch it,” especially livestock owners and farmers.
As the alert spread, the news raised fears and questions about the lion’s whereabouts and the extent of the danger he might pose, before pages and accounts on social media, hours later, circulated information stating that “he had been found and returned to the barn.”
However, the mayor of the town of Labweh, Hamza Ammar, put an end to the circulating stories, confirming to “Lebanon Debate” that “the atmosphere in the town is normal, and no lion has escaped, and there is no truth to what is being circulated in this context.”
He explained that “the same news is repeated from time to time, and is spread through social networking sites and the media,” denying the information that spoke of a lion escaping in the town and being found later.
On the other hand, Ammar denounced the presence of predatory animals of this type, which may pose a threat to public safety, pointing out that “such news puts people in a constant state of anxiety, especially when it spreads without verifying its authenticity.”
Here, a question arises for the Ministry of Agriculture and the concerned official authorities: How are individuals allowed to raise predatory animals that may pose a direct threat to public safety, especially in populated areas or close to homes and farms?
Aside from the validity of the news of the lion’s escape this time, the mere presence of predatory animals among individuals opens the door to questions about the control imposed on their breeding, the conditions required for their possession, and the extent of ensuring the availability of safe places to prevent their exit or exposing citizens and livestock to danger.
Hence, there appears to be an urgent need for an official clarification from the competent authorities regarding the controls adopted in this file, and to tighten control over places where predatory animals are raised, to prevent any future incident from turning from mere circulating news into a real danger threatening people’s lives.
