400 Gazelles loss: Iraq's Diyala Directorate denies responsibility

Shafaq News

2 days ago

2025-06-29T20:49:55+00:00
Shafaq News - Diyala
On Sunday, Iraq's Diyala Agriculture Directorate denied responsibility for the sharp decline in goitered gazelle numbers at Mandali Reserve, noting that the site was transferred to the Forestry and Desertification Directorate in 2019.
This clarification comes amid an investigation into the disappearance of nearly 400 gazelles from Mandali under unclear circumstances.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Ali Dhamad al-Zuhairi, Mandali district administrator, expressed doubts about claims attributing the decline to starvation, pointing instead to theft or smuggling as potential causes.
He also highlighted that the rapid loss of such a large number of gazelles triggered urgent communication with senior government officials to ''initiate an investigation, hold those responsible accountable, and work toward restoring the reserve.''
The crisis at Mandali is not an isolated case. Since the 2003 US-led invasion, goitered gazelles native to Al-Anbar desert, al-Muthanna steppe, and Diyala forests have faced increasing threats from poaching and killings, driving the species toward extinction.
Similar losses have previously been reported at the Sawa reserve in al-Muthanna province, another vital habitat for goitered gazelles. There, officials were compelled to sell some animals to afford feed for the remaining herd after starvation affected the population.