Kurdistan's wildlife under threat by poachers, traders

SORAN, Kurdistan Region — In an animal store in Soran, a boy sells a box of five wolf puppies for $292 to the shop owner.

Tens of wild animals and birds are being traded in this shop. The pups came from the mountainious Bradost region in the northern reaches of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. 

"We receive animals from Bradost, Khwakurk and Balakayati areas and we buy them here. We depend on this job. We take them to Erbil and sell them there or we get them from Erbil," explained a shopper, Newroz Mewlud.

Wild animals and their pelts can be bought despite poaching being illegal in the Kurdistan Region. 

The war with the Islamic State (ISIS) forced park rangers to the front lines to fight the extremists. 

"People are free to do what they want. They are on the mountains every day and night. They kill any bird, partridge or ibex they see with shotguns and snares," said Park Ranger Ismael Warti.

As mating season arrives in the Kurdistan Region, animals are becoming more active.

"They use everything to [threaten] the extinction of the wild animals. Nothing is left now," added Warti.

There are more than 400 kinds of birds in Kurdistan Region, but the number is decreasing drastically because of poachers.

 

Reporting by Bakhtiyar Qadir