Sulaimani local authorities launch campaign to end illegal hunting of wild birds, animals

Local authorities in the city of Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region have launched a campaign for the criminalization of the trading and hunting of wild animals with the help of animal rights activists.

“Our objective behind this campaign is to put an end to the trading of wild animals. This is indeed a very growing vicious trend. This trend will lead to the annihilation of all animals and birds. Nature is beautiful with them,” explained animal rights activist Shadi Ali to Rudaw over the weekend.

This campaign organized at the municipal level in coordination with the security forces of Sulaimani, takes place only on Fridays to seize hunted birds and animals and fine those selling them, Ali told Rudaw.

Between 2008 and 2010, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) introduced environmental protection laws, including related to hunting, in order to protect the region's wildlife and nature.

When the Region had to focus on fighting the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014, however, all forces were redeployed to the frontlines. This included the forest police, essentially giving illegal hunters open season.

Bahrooz Jalal, a local teashop owner in Sulaimani, shared with a Rudaw reporter that people “make business with them [wild animals]”, adding that “65-70 percent of the animals die here, meaning that most of the animals brought here from nature die anyway. There is now unlimited harm done to nature.”

Illegal hunting in the Kurdistan Region is currently threatening the Region's wildlife.

Translation by Anis Ari, video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed