Iraq
This aerial view shows Rhim gazelles grazing at the Sawa wildlife reserve in the desert of Samawa in Iraq's southern province of al-Muthanna on June 8, 2022. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly all of the 400 gazelles in an animal reserve in Diyala province’s Mandali district have gone missing, its mayor said on Sunday, who also called for an immediate investigation amid suspicions of theft or smuggling.
Ali al-Zuhairi told Rudaw that only ten gazelles remain and that it is unclear when or how the animals disappeared, adding that there is suspicion that they were “stolen or sold through smuggling.” He noted that when he assumed the position nearly half a year ago he was told that around 400 gazelles live in the reserve but he later found out that there were only ten.
He urged authorities to launch an immediate investigation.
The missing animals are goitered gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa), also known as black-tailed gazelles, a species native to Iraq that is increasingly threatened by habitat loss, illegal hunting, and climate change.
“This phenomenon poses a major threat to environmental biodiversity and requires swift action by relevant parties to hold violators accountable and protect the remaining endangered animal resources in the country,” Zuhairi added.
Diyala police spokesperson Haitham al-Shamari told Rudaw that they have not been officially notified of the disappearances.
Iraq has long struggled with illegal wildlife trafficking, driven by years of instability, weak enforcement, and high demand in regional black markets. Falcons from Iraq’s southern plains and rare birds and foxes from the mountains of the Kurdistan Region are frequently targeted by traffickers. Rare animals are also regularly smuggled into Iraq to be sold at high prices.
Although Iraq signed the Convention on the Protection of Animals in 2014 - which aims to regulate the global trade in wildlife and animal products - illegal trafficking remains widespread across the country.
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