Boy arrested in Lebanon after horrific dog abuse video surfaces
Boy arrested in Lebanon after horrific dog abuse video surfaces
A boy has been arrested in Lebanon after a video surfaced showing him repeatedly drowning and slamming a defenceless dog against a concrete wall.
2 min read
Animals in Lebanon are prone to neglect and abuse [Getty File Image]
A boy was arrested in the early hours of Sunday after a video surfaced of him abusing a dog in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon, local media have reported.
In the horrifying video, shared widely on social media, a boy can be seen smiling as he drowns a dog and slams its head against a concrete wall.
Animal rights activist Ghina Nahfawi said she had been in contact with authorities to find the dog. The boy was arrested by the local security forces, both Nahfawi and Lebanese media outlet The 961 said.
BETA Lebanon, an animal rescue shelter based in Baabda near Beirut said that its lawyer and another member of staff had headed to Akkar to take the dog in for veterinarian care on Sunday morning.
Lebanon has witnessed horrible human behaviour in the past days,
— Paola Rebeiz (@paolarebeiz) August 8, 2021
Yet nothing superates the rawest form of evil,sadism & cruelty that was inflicted on this innocent defenseless dog, Luckily @GhinaNahfawi tipped the balance towards goodness,compassion and pure love ❤️🙏🏻❤️
The dog was a puppy, according to BETA. It was “terrified” but “still seems to have love left in him”, the animal welfare group said.
Though some social media users were outraged by the boy’s actions, others claimed that the incident was not important.
BETA criticised public reaction to the video, saying it was "shocking" to see some people apparently justifying animal abuse.
“When we at BETA received this horrific video we were utterly shocked," it said in a statement.
"Shocked that compassion seems to be going backwards instead of forwards; shocked that some people still defended the act by saying: 'What’s the matter? The dog is just being bathed' or simply 'it’s just a dog'."
After years of lobbying by animal rights activists, Lebanon passed its first law to safeguard animals in 2017.
The law outlined requirements for keeping domestic pets, regulations for zoos and pet shops, and penalties for violations - including jail time and fines.
It also outlawed abusing pets or owning wild or endangered animals.
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