Shooting of Black Stork in Arpi Lake National Park: Zohrabyan Raises Alarm

Naira Zohrabyan, a member of the Prosperous Armenia Party in the National Assembly, has reported on Facebook that black storks have been shot at in the territory of Arpi Lake National Park in Shirak Province. She specifically stated:

“There have been people who have asked me whether the bill criminalizing cruelty towards animals is a priority issue for our country today. Yes, it is a priority issue. I confidently say that it will be one of the most important laws in our country. Because this law is not only about protecting animals but also about humans. It’s about a species of human that can take a gun and, as an unidentified individual did yesterday, shoot a black stork. By the way, I am sure it was the same individual who shot at this stork chick a week ago. And this law is here so that we can catch such beasts and escort them to a penal institution according to the law.

Furthermore, I am incredibly curious about how those MPs who voted against the bill or abstained during the first reading feel after every such incident. After all, this bill was not about me, and the personal attitude towards me or my colleagues should not have been the motivation for their voting.

By the way, the black stork shot was in the territory of Shirak Province’s Arpi Lake National Park. I have a slight, misty hope that law enforcement will find the shooting beast and impose a light fine under the Administrative Offences Code—until the Parliament, I want to believe, will adopt a bill to criminalize such sadism in the second reading in the near future. I should also mention that there are only six pairs of this stork species left in Armenia,” wrote Zohrabyan.