A book ad in Hamshahri newspaper enraged environmentalists

Over the past few days, a book advertisement in Hamshahri – a mass-circulation daily – has brought cries of protest from environmentalists, the news website of Iran Environment and Wildlife Watch on September 23 reported.

The contentious ad, which pitched hunting and shooting, appeared on the front page of the newspaper’s special addendum in Golestan Province [in northeastern Iran with an unrivalled ecosystem and remarkable tourist attractions] on September 21, 2014.

Apart from dedicating some chapters to hunting, the book features photos of the writer posing by a dead Iranian leopard and Caspian pheasants.

The advertisement hails “Ecotourism, Hunting and Shooting” as an exquisite gift for those enthused about the environment and hunting. Among other things, the book offers readers a number of medical tips about how to survive in nature, and features information about mammals and birds in Iran and about driving four-wheel-drive cars in different conditions.

However, a significant part of the book is dedicated to a personal photo gallery of the author which depicts corpses of hunted leopards, boars, pheasants and so on.

What raised the ire of environmentalists is that the newspaper, known as a torchbearer for raising public awareness about the environment, dedicated its front page to an advertisement on hunting and its promotion.

Although there is no denying that advertisements are the bread and butter of dailies, the newspaper should not have carried the ad which laid it open to accusations of negligence by advocates of the environment.