Wild bear shot dead in Erbil’s Choman

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A rare wild bear was found dead in the Choman district of Erbil province on Tuesday. It appears it was shot dead by unknown individuals several days earlier, local officials and eyewitnesses told Rudaw English on Wednesday. 

Ibrahim Galazheri, an employee at Choman mayor’s office, said that a local resident called him on Tuesday to say that he found the body of a brown bear near Kani Rash meadow. 

“I broke the news to the mayor who later tasked the veterinary [team] to inspect. The incident took place on Friday but we were informed on Tuesday,” he said.

The veterinary team concluded that the bear was intentionally killed, Galazheri said, adding that the doctors estimated the bear was five or six years old. 

“This species of bear is typical of Balakayati areas and a few others have been spotted before,” he said. 

The incident is being investigated, according to Amir Khoshawi, head media for Soran’s ranger and forest police.

“The bear was killed five or six days ago in the Kani Rash area. Because the area is mountainous and cold, its body has not changed. It was shot once in the left breast. An investigation has been launched by Choman police,” Khoshawi said. 

The culprit could face a fine of 10 million dinars ($7,636) and one month to three years imprisonment, depending on how the killing took place, he said. 

A security source told Rudaw English on the condition of anonymity that the shooter could have taken the bear’s cubs to sell on black market after killing their mother. Khoshawi, however, denied this claim.

Ahmed Barzan, Choman mayor, told Rudaw that they will try to preserve the body of the dead bear. 

Choman used to have a ranger police force but it was deployed to the frontlines in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 and has not yet been restored to ranger duties.

There are numerous threats to bear populations in the Kurdistan Region, including military activity, hunting, and poaching.