Dear Supporters,
There are many ways to teach students about animal behavior, and cruelty shouldn’t be one of them.
On Tuesday afternoon, BETA received a call that two Vervet monkeys were being kept in a tiny, rusted cage in an empty parking lot across from a college, exposed to the intense summer heat with no water, food or shelter. Students and passersby were taking every opportunity to harass and abuse the distressed animals for pleasure. When BETA arrived on the scene, we tried to explain that this was no place for an exotic animal and that the monkeys were suffering. We offered to transport them to a wildlife sanctuary where they could live a better life, but the owner, Jihad Nassif, refused. After four hours, countless BETA volunteers arriving to lend their support, and a peaceful approach of awareness and education, Jihad finally had a change of heart and even volunteered to assist BETA in future rescues. Today the Vervets are under BETA’s care and they are our fifth Vervet rescues since 2006. Also, the next day another BETA member, after much talk , convinced the owner of a 'water amusement park' to give up a Red Kite bird that had been caged for some time and badly injured. We finally confiscated the bird and his injury was treated by a specialist and will be released in a reserve in the South of Lebanon.
AWARENESS IS THE GREATEST AGENT FOR CHANGE. THIS IS BETA'S GOAL.
Although new legislation is being considered, it will be years before any laws are implemented to protect Lebanon’s exotic animals. Vervets are mentioned in the appendix II of the CITES agreement as a species that can very soon become endangered if not properly monitored. BETA works for animal welfare on its own and with its own funding. We rescued these helpless, terrified Vervets, and are now searching for a wildlife sanctuary that will take them in for treatment and rehabilitation. In the meantime, we desperately need funding for their care and eventual transport to their new sanctuary.
Please DONATE today as much as you can. Even a small amount can make a huge difference in the life of an animal!
Thank you for everything you do for the animals.
Sincerely,
The BETA Team
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