Algerian newspapers featured a story on Tuesday on the arrest of two Saudis who are believed to be members of the royal family. They were arrested in a wildlife refuge – an area protected by international conventions on the protection of rare and endangered species – while engaged in hunting birds with unlicensed firearms. [Full Story in Arabic]



The French language newspaper “El Watan” reported that the arresting officers were officials of the forest protection services, not the security services. In the past several years the protected areas have become a focus of attention for princes from the Gulf, and especially from Saudi Arabia.



This is hardly the first incident in which Saudi princes been caught trespassing in what the newspapers call “internationally protected areas” to hunt extremely rare birds of species threatened with extinction. Three years ago a similar case ''exploded'' in the news, a case that was more serious, since the group of Saudi princes who were hunting caused the death of a ten year old child in an incident that has never been clearly and publicly addressed by the local authorities.



The father of the child promptly brought a legal complaint with the authorities, and when the courts failed to act, took the case to the newspapers demanding justice in the court of public opinion. The Saudi princes left the country within 24 hours of the newspapers taking up the case. They were never charged, either in connection with the killing of the child, nor for hunting in an internationally protected wildlife refuge.



Many princes from the Gulf area visit Algeria to hunt. They are provided with enhanced security protection while engaging in their sport hunting, which according to a source in a European organization for the protection of endangered species, results in a veritable ''slaughter" of rare birds.



Hunting princes from the Gulf have also struck in Tunis and Morocco, showing their disdain for the international conventions and treaties that have made the hunting of endangered species a crime. But this crime is repeated weekly – especially in the spring and the fall – against birds whose only offense is living in Algeria, Tunis or Morocco.