Armed attack by dozens of hunters on environmentalists in Miankaleh

Ali Kalane, head of the Miankaleh Wildlife Sanctuary, announced on Wednesday, February 10, that one hundred hunters attacked Miankaleh conservationists with shotguns.

He told ISNA news agency: "More than 100 hunters on boats with their faces covered targeted and shot at environmentalists in the Miankaleh area."

According to him, six rangers were attacked in the attack, but none of them were injured because they "maintained a safe distance."

The head of the Miankaleh Wildlife Sanctuary further added that "poachers are carrying out these destructive actions in an organized manner through coordination through cyberspace."

No further information has been released about the details and date of the attack.

Ali Kalaneh continued by warning against the repetition of these attacks and lamenting the lack of defensive equipment for environmentalists, including bulletproof vests and tasers, as well as the lack of suitable boats to protect the wetlands.

At the same time, Hossein Ali Ebrahimi, Director General of the Mazandaran Provincial Environmental Protection Department, announced the arrest of several of these aggressive hunters by the police.

The Young Journalists Club also wrote in a report on this matter that attacks by illegal hunters on Miankaleh conservationists have occurred in previous years. For example, on February 15, 2019, a similar attack resulted in the injury of four conservationists, but the recent attacks have been "more widespread" and "unprecedented."

Miankaleh Wildlife Sanctuary is located at the southeastern end of the Caspian Sea and northeast of Behshahr County. It is a habitat for herons, gulls, swallows, and other migratory birds.

Source: Voice of America