The country's hawks are prey to poaching... and their smuggling is relentless

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[size=52]The country's hawks are prey to poaching... and their smuggling is relentless[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Saif Abdullah[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi desert areas are characterized by the presence of rare falcons, which caught the attention of the Gulf countries interested in this type of bird. In earlier times, the security forces were able to arrest people from several countries practicing falcon hunting in the Iraqi deserts, while legal measures were taken against them.[/size]
[size=45]Government plans to control smuggling[/size]
[size=45]In this regard, the official of the Community Awareness Department at the Ministry of Environment, Salah El-Din Saleh, indicated that the ministry has developed plans to follow up on hunting and smuggling operations, whether falcons and others.[/size]
[size=45]Saleh added, "The problem is that the ports are not protected, and therefore smuggling cases may occur from there, and we have diagnosed these cases."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that "these hunting operations, in addition to smuggling, are a threat to endangered birds."[/size]
[size=45]The “free bird” is the most popular type of falcon[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Ahmed Al-Abadi, a falcon dealer, explained that the sale of falcons takes place after collecting a number of birds, whether four or more; And then sold to Qatar or the Emirates via yachts belonging to merchants. Al-Abadi said in an exclusive interview with (Al-Mada), that "the prices of falcons vary according to the type and measurement of the length of the falcon, as some types reach about 30 million and the other about 25 million according to the length of the falcon's wing." He pointed out that "the free bird is the most desirable type of falcon, which is hunted in Iraq after its migration from other countries coming towards us, and this falcon is characterized by the length of its wings, which reaches 18 centimeters."[/size]
[size=45]Calls for strict measures on the border areas[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the extinction of these rare species of falcons in Iraq, Hussein Hantoush, the former local official in Al-Muthanna Governorate, which is famous for falcons, revealed the factors that affect falcons.[/size]
[size=45]In an interview with Al-Mada, Hantoush said, "Many factors began to affect the falcons, including the drought that affected important water places in Iraq, especially in Muthanna, which constitutes an important habitat for migratory falcons." He added that "hunting operations also took a large part by contributing to reducing the number of falcons, in addition to other neighborhoods in which the Muthanna Municipality used to thrive." Hantoush explained, "The government should prevent the sale of these important species of birds and impose strict measures on the border areas, as these types are an important national wealth."[/size]
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