Erbil collects over 750 tons of animal remains during Eid

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil authorities have collected more than 750 tons of animal remains over the first three days of Eid al-Adha as residents sacrifice animals, with hundreds more expected in the coming days, a local official told Rudaw on Monday.

“In the three days of Eid al-Adha, 765 tons of animal sacrifice remains have been gathered,” Zhyar Jalal, head of Erbil’s environmental protection and services directorate, told Rudaw.

Animal carcasses are left across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region after Eid al-Adha sacrifices. Authorities face the annual task of swiftly collecting and disposing of the remains to prevent disease and pollution.

Jalal added that they expect to collect an additional 200 to 250 tons on Monday.

“Before Eid, we informed our fellow citizens that animal waste should not be thrown in the streets and alleys,” he said, adding that 24 locations had been designated for animal sacrifice, but many people failed to comply.

On Saturday, a source from the Erbil mayor’s office told Rudaw that ten people were arrested in the first two days of Eid for slaughtering animals in unsanitary and inappropriate locations.

The confirmation of several cases of the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in the Kurdistan Region has led many Muslims in Erbil to refrain from buying animals for sacrifice during Eid al-Adha.

The tick-borne virus spreads through contact with infected animal blood and tissues during slaughter, posing heightened risks when people handle livestock without proper protection.

Every year during Eid al-Adha, Muslims worldwide sacrifice animals such as lambs, cows, and sheep.

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) health ministry has confirmed five cases of CCHF so far, with the most recent reported on Tuesday. It has also instructed the public not to slaughter animals at home.

On Wednesday, Rabar Mohamed, head of the animal resources and veterinary department at the Kurdistan Region’s agriculture ministry, announced that authorities are tightening regulations on animal sacrifice in light of the hemorrhagic fever outbreak, and violators will be penalized.


Solin Hamadamin contributed to this report.