Fear of water buffaloes going extinct looms in Basra

BASRA, Iraq - Fear of water buffaloes going extinct looms in southern Iraq as the war-torn country continues to suffer from climate change that is drastically affecting the number of animals in the area.

Water buffaloes are presented as productive animals and their milk is often used for the making of cheese and yogurt as it has a distinctive taste and high levels of fat.

However, their numbers are decreasing due to climate change, pricy fodders, and high salinity in the Shatt al-Arab river, livestock farmer Abu Fares told Rudaw's Bilind Abdullah on Friday. 

The farmer owned “more than 200 [water] buffaloes last year,” but it has decreased to “less than 75” now. 

The UN says Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to climate change including water and food insecurity.

The country's water reserves have decreased by half since last year due to a combination of drought, lack of rainfall, and declining river levels, the water ministry warned.