Pandemic gives flight to Palestinian birdwatching project

Record ID: 1555353

  • Title: Pandemic gives flight to Palestinian birdwatching project
  • Date: 2nd June 2020
  • Summary: DEIR GHASSANEH, WEST BANK (MAY 31, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SHEAIBI WALKING ON ROCKY TERRAIN SHEAIBI FIXING A CAMOUFLAGE BLANKET TO TREES SHEAIBI'S HAND TAKING A PICTURE WITH HIS CAMERA
  • Embargoed: 16th June 2020 14:44
  • Keywords: Birdwatching COVID-19 Coronavirus Nature Palestinian Occupied Territories Westbank Wildlife Photography
  • Location: DEIR GHASSANEH, WEST BANK
  • City: DEIR GHASSANEH, WEST BANK
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
  • Reuters ID: LVA005CGOEDLH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Every morning at dawn, 34-year-old wildlife enthusiast Mohammad Sheaibi hides behind high grass and trees to document wildlife around his Westbank village, Deir Ghassaneh, between Nablus and Ramallah.
    When the coronavirus crisis hit the Westbank, Sheaibi stopped going to the jewellery store where he was working as a salesman.
    But unlike millions of people around the world, Sheaibi did not lock himself up at home. He rather made use of the precious time he suddenly had on his hands and followed the prescribed social distancing measures by isolating himself in the wild to practice his passion of wildlife photography.
    Sheaibi began filming wildlife in 2015. With a digital camera around his neck and a camouflage blanket in his bag, he set out to document different animal species, with a focus on birds.
    As he began sharing his footage on social media, Sheaibi received a lot of attention from Palestinians, often unaware of the natural beauty surrounding them. This encouraged Sheaibi to go out every day and reach out to people around the world with his images.
    Although Sheaibi is now working again, to him, the best time of his day remains these hours spent under his camouflage blanket, waiting for special moments when gazelles come out, birds chirp and foxes hunt.
    (Production: Saed Howari, Suheir Sheikh)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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