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SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region - Local residents of a mountainous village of Sulaimani province have taken matters into their own hands to preserve their nature and wildlife by preventing poaching and hunting in the region.
The village of Khamza is accessed only through three roads where signs indicate that hunting is prohibited.
"A large number of hunters come to our village and its surroundings because our village is very rich in wild animals and wild birds," Farman Khamzaiy, a resident of Khamza village said. "As residents of Khamza village, we have unanimously decided that we will not allow hunting in this area."
All a tourist needs to do is to go on a simple stroll around the village to encounter numerous wild birds and animals.
Residents of the village are vastly involved in farming, gardening, and raising livestock and poultry.
Locals say they do not want to see any environmental harm caused to the village so they do their best to preserve it.
"Nature is beautiful with animals, with poultry and birds. How amazing it is when you find solace and feel comfortable with a chukar chirp in nature," said Barzan Othman, a villager. "But unfortunately, we have reached a stage where not just the birds, but also their fledglings are hunted."
Sulaimani province’s Sharbazher district is one of the most important districts in the Kurdistan Region in terms of wildlife conservation.
Halo Ismael was a former hunter. He has given up on the business and joined arms with fellow villagers to preserve the nature of their village and the mountainous region as a whole.
"I was a hunter. I stopped hunting two years ago even though it was my favorite thing to do. However, when I noticed the number of birds and animals decreased, I decided to give up... This is what the men, women, and the elderly of Khamza village will do. Based on our limited resources, we have each bought chukars, such as six chukars, ten chukars, or eight chukars, and released them all here in this village," Ismael said.
Halgurd Ahmed, for his part, shared that villagers have altogether contributed to protecting the wildlife.
"We have brought chukars several times. But unfortunately, some people hunt them and then they sell them at tea shops in Sulaimani for 5000 or 10,000 dinars. They do not care how much they sell it for," Ahmed complained.
Authorities of Sulaimani province have previously on several occasions launched campaigns for the criminalization of the trading and hunting of wild animals with the help of animal rights activists.
According to the latest data from the Kurdistan Region's forestry police department, 1,250 hunters were arrested and 770 hunting instruments, notably guns, were confiscated in 2023.
Between 2008 and 2010, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) introduced environmental protection laws, including those related to hunting, to protect the region's wildlife and nature.
When the Region had to focus on fighting the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014, however, all forces were redeployed to the frontlines. This included the forest police, essentially giving illegal hunters open season.
Illegal hunting in the Kurdistan Region is currently threatening the Region's wildlife.
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