ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Region’s porcupine population is in decline due to overhunting, locals and an activist claim.
Rasul Hariri, a resident of Erbil province’s Harir subdistrict, told Rudaw that the spikey rodent has virtually disappeared from sight in the area.
“There might be one or two porcupines left in the mountains of Harir at the moment,” he observed.
The animal is hunted in the Kurdistan Region for food and sport by locals, with the help of dogs and traps.
Bryar Latif, a 27-year-old farmer from Said Sadiq, has begun breeding the animal to make up for its disappearance in nature. Four years into his domestication project, he has bred 30 porcupines out of the three he bought for 350,000 dinars.
This video was submitted by Rasul Hariri in Erbil's Harir subdistrict.
“Last fall, I slaughtered a 16 kilogram porcupine,” he said. “It tasted really good.”
Sarwar Qaradaghi, co-chair of the environmentalist group Nature Organization Kurdistan, verified that the animal was disappearing in the Kurdistan Region due to overhunting.
“This has really hurt the Region’s nature and endangered this animal and many other animals,” he noted of hunters.
However, police discourage both the hunting and breeding of porcupines.
“Anyone that hunts porcupines and breeds them at home to make profit, will be severely punished,” said Fouad Ahmad, the head of the Kurdistan Region’s environmental and forest police.
According to Kurdistan Region legislation, hunters will face a fine of 200,000 dinars on their first offence, and double if they offend repeatedly.
This video was submitted by Bryar Latif in Sulaimani's Said Sadiq district.
Translation by Dilan Sirwan
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