Kurdistan
The endangered Egyptian vulture spends its summers in Kurdistan and migrates as far as Africa for the winter. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Soaring high over the rugged landscape, Egyptian vultures returned to the Kurdistan Region in early March where they nest and lay eggs in the cliffs of the Zagros Mountains. These are important breeding grounds for the vultures, whose numbers are dwindling.
“Kurdistan is one of the hotspots for sheltering this endangered species,” explained Korsh Ararat. As such, monitoring their population numbers and new generations hatched in Kurdistan’s mountains “is very important.”
An environmental scientist at the University of Sulaimani, Ararat has been studying the Egyptian vulture for 13 years – but this year he’ll have a gap in his research. He is not able to get out in the field with his binoculars and camera because of movement restrictions imposed by the government to limit the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.
After recording its first COVID-19 cases on March 1, Kurdistan Region authorities instituted a near complete lockdown on March 14, instructing people to stay at home to limit transmission. As of Sunday, 236 people in the Kurdistan Region have contracted the virus and three have died. The lockdown is due to be lifted on April 10, though authorities are likely to keep some movement restrictions in place as the number of cases continues to rise.
The Egyptian vulture, neophron percnopterus, is a medium-sized vulture with a wingspan of 155-170 centimeters, a bright yellow face, a black-tipped bill, and a coiffure to rival Rod Stewart. The birds have a vast range, with breeding grounds that stretch from the Balkans to India, and winter homes where they migrate in north and eastern Africa.
Researchers have observed a rapid decline in Egyptian vulture populations of 50 to more than 90 percent in some areas and the bird is classified as endangered. Global estimates put their number at anything between 18,000 and 57,000.
They have been decimated by diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug that is commonly used on livestock, but is lethal to the vulture when it feasts on dead goats and sheep.
Through his research, Ararat estimates there are 250 to 500 breeding pairs that arrive in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq in early March each year, lay their eggs, and depart in late summer when their young are strong enough to make journeys to as far away as Tanzania.
They also nest in Qaradagh, a rugged mountain ridge about 150 kilometres southeast of the regional capital Erbil and a popular spot for the vultures who like to build their nests on cliff sides. With a rich geography and biodiversity of crags, gorges, lakes, streams, and forests, Qaradagh provides a habitat for a wide range of wild animals and plants, and environmentalists want to see it conserved as a protected area.
Knowledge of endangered species like the Egyptian vulture helps make the case for preserving Qaradagh. Their habitat in the Kurdistan Region is under threat "mostly due to urbanization and the oil industry," Ararat said, so the need to create a conservation area is all the more pressing.
"We need to create networks of protected areas," he explained, "because these migratory birds stop or forage in several areas."
Ararat's research contributes to global efforts to save the Egyptian vulture and local campaigns to protect Kurdistan's environment. As the urgency of the viral pandemic and the need to save lives has brought the world to a standstill, he is one of many researchers worried about the consequences of interruptions to vital studies.
Some scientists in the United States say they have had to euthanize their testing animals because they can't work in their labs under the lockdown. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) meanwhile has warned that weather forecasts may be less reliable as they lose data once obtained from commercial flights, now grounded.
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