It all started when the Iranian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals published a video [1] showing “hunters” in Samirom in the Isfahan [2] province killing a brown bear and torturing her cubs as a game before the camera. They tore off the belly of one cub and threw around the poor creature while it was still alive.
The film created a wave of rage and sadness among many Iranians, and a Facebook page [3] was created calling on Iranian authorities to punish the hunters. More than 1,900 people have joined. A comment on the page says that Samirom's MP (member of parliament) Behrouz Jafari claimed that the description of events were, “exaggerated to give a negative image of Islamic Republic's environmental situation.” The Facebook group supporter asks:
“Why do you just want to run away from your responsibility and try to politicise everything.”
News reports [4] said two of the “hunters” were arrested. One is named Hamzeh Ali Ansari, and happens to work for the Ministry of Education, and has personal ties to Samirom's MP.
Pashmak writes [5]:
This film shows the endless cruelty of human beings to animals… They killed the bear and tore off the cubs’ belly and videotaped themselves… It is good that they made the film because it helped lead to their arrest… Hamzeh Ali Ansari, a teacher, is the main criminal who has already 100 times violated laws but has good ties with Behrouz Jafari, Samirom's MP.
Iranian blogger, Kamalia asks in a post about the bears [6], “What was their sin to be killed like this?” The blogger also mentions the political ties of one “hunter”.
Another blogger, Joosh writes [7]:
After 32 years living under the violence of the Islamic Republic, the Iranian nation has become addicted to death… It can not recognise the difference between good and bad… Today, I am ashamed of being an Iranian.