ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Diyala’s governor has formed a committee to investigate the disappearance of nearly 400 gazelles in the province’s Mandali district, the local mayor said on Monday.
Ali al-Zuhairi, mayor of Mandali, told Rudaw late last month 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 later found out that there were only ten.
Zuhairi told Rudaw on Monday that Governor Adnan al-Shammari has formed a committee to probe the disappearance of the gazelles.
“The committee will start working on Tuesday and will visit the reserve where the gazelles were kept. We will await the results of the investigation by the committee,” the mayor noted.
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.
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.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this article.
