Scale of illegal bird killing in the Middle East revealed for the first time

A new study, has for the first time, estimated the scale and extent of the illegal killing and taking of wild birds in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Iran. Using a diverse range of data sources and incorporating expert knowledge, we estimate that at least 1.7–4.6 million birds of at least 413 species may be killed or taken illegally each year in this region, many of them on migration. Worryingly, this is likely to be an underestimate as data were unavailable for parts of the region. The highest illegal killing/ taking figures were mean estimates of 1.7 million birds per year in part of Saudi Arabia and 800,000 birds in part of Iran, despite in both cases data only being available only for part of the country. Estimates of illegal killing and taking in Iraq and Yemen were also relatively high with 329,000 and 273,000 birds on average estimated to be illegally killed or taken each year.

Illegal killing and taking poses a global threat to biodiversity and has attracted international attention. For example, in 2014 the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), to which most of the countries from this review are Parties, adopted a Resolution to prevent illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds in 2014 (UNEP/CMS 2014).

Worryingly, in this latest study, several species of global conservation concern were illegally killed or taken, including Marbled Teal, Common Pochard and European Turtle-dove (all classified by BirdLife International as Vulnerable on the global IUCN Red List). Of greater concern, Sociable Lapwing (Critically Endangered) was also reported to be known or likely to be killed illegally each year in relatively high numbers relative to its small population size. Illegal shooting and illegal trapping were the two most prevalent methods and birds were reported to be illegally killed or taken primarily for sport, but also for food, mainly as a delicacy.

In several countries illegal killing and taking was widespread throughout the country, but for other countries particular worst locations were identified. These included the Caspian Sea coast in Iran and the mountainous Kurdistan region of Iraq with more than 100,000 birds a year estimated to be illegally killed/ taken in each location and waterbirds particularly affected. Both Iran and Iraq provide important staging and wintering areas for migratory birds, especially waterbirds, and high levels of take may be a factor driving population declines of waterbirds in the Central Asian flyway.

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Rare bird is the talk of a Halifax retirement home

Chukars are the national bird of Iraq and Pakistan, but one is now calling the Parkland Clayton Park home

Richard Woodbury · CBC News · Posted: Jan 19, 2019 6:00 AM AT | Last Updated: January 19

A bird that's a long way from home is being welcomed with open arms by residents at a Halifax retirement complex.

Last summer, a chukar appeared outside the Parkland Clayton Park and has remained there ever since. The red-billed partridge has since been named Clayton, a nod to the Clayton Park neighbourhood where the retirement facility is located.

Chukars are the national birds of Iraq and Pakistan, and are native to the Middle East and southern Asia. According to the National Audubon Society, they were brought as a game bird to North America and have thrived in some arid regions in the western U.S.

"We have no idea how he got here, but you know, he seems to be faring well so far and he's certainly being well fed and well looked after," said Jennifer Shannon, the general manager at Parkland Clayton Park.

Clayton can generally be found somewhere in the courtyard, which is enveloped by the retirement buildings.

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Iraq steps up efforts to stop smuggling of rare species

Wassim Bassem November 24, 2017

Smuggling rare animal species out of Iraq has become common due to lax enforcement of laws and the country's security situation, but the federal government is making renewed efforts to halt the smuggling.

A falcon perches on a Bedouin hunter's arm during a hunt in a desert south of Samawah, Iraq, Nov. 30, 2007.

Iraq's Ministry of Health and Environment released 20 falcons back into the wild Nov. 17. The falcons had been smuggled earlier in the month to Kuwait, which returned them to Iraq. This incident is but one example of the systematic smuggling of rare birds and animals out of the country, and the authorities are working to better enforce existing laws and adding security measures.

“The lack of surveillance on the vast, open borders as well as the rampant corruption at the ports make such operations both possible and profitable for smugglers and merchants,” an officer in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

Smugglers are encouraged by traders in the Gulf states who pay huge sums of money to purchase rare, ornamental or hunting birds. There's an anecdote circulating that a rare breed of pigeon recently sent bird fanciers in Kuwait into a bidding war, driving the final price for the birds to $33,000.

“Many trade transactions are conducted illegally, away from any environmental or security controls,” Manal al-Muslimawi, a member of the Iraqi parliament's Environment Committee, told Al-Monitor. “The Iraqi laws [are supposed to] protect the environment and its biological diversity, but they are not being enforced."

The falcon incident, Muslimawi said, "is one out of hundreds of smuggling cases of Iraqi birds and rare animals, and the parliamentary committee is aware of that.” She added, “The environmental police in Iraq are not up to the challenge, given the lack of the needed personnel."

Some markets in Baghdad even sell protected species in plain sight.

"Some well-known smugglers are buying rare animal and bird species from the market to selling them through cross-border networks," bird trader Sheikh Ali told Al-Monitor. 

"There is a trader who managed last year to get seven rare and desirable hawks from the desert of Ramadi and [offered to sell them to us] for a good price," which he declined. "I subsequently learned that this trader [sold them] to the Gulf traders,” he added.

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Illegal hunting threatens biodiversity of Iraq's marshes

BAGHDAD — A video showing Iraqi hunters capturing rare flamingos in Maysan governorate, southern Iraq, was posted on Iraqi social media networks on Dec. 25, along with other videos showing people feasting on flamingo meat. On Dec. 27, a large number of flamingos were sold at a flea market in southern Iraq.

In the absence of deterrent laws and decisive actions by the authorities, hunters in Iraq are killing migrant birds on a large scale.
Author Adnan Abu Zeed Posted January 11, 2017

The illegal hunting of birds and wild animals has been a widespread phenomenon in Iraq. Nature Iraq, an organization created to protect, restore and preserve Iraq's natural environment, said in a statement on Nov. 11, 2014, “Large numbers of migrating birds to the marshes were shot by hunters using licensed and unlicensed firearms.”

However, the story surrounding the hunting of flamingos sparked wide controversy in the country, prompting people to take to the streets in Maysan governorate on Dec. 28, 2016, calling to stop illegal hunting practices. The governor of Maysan announced a series of strict measures against hunters involved in illegal hunting activities. In the same vein, on Dec. 29, dozens of protesters demonstrated in Nasiriyah, 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, calling for a ban on poaching in the marshes.

In a statement Dec. 26, the Ministry of Water Resources called upon local authorities in the governorates of Basra, Dhi Qar and Maysan to launch “an awareness campaign [on hunting] and to assume responsibility in order to preserve the biodiversity of the marshes,” as swarms of migrating birds flying from Siberia and the coasts of Northern Europe and other cold areas end their voyages in the marshes of Iraq.

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