Iraq bird killings? (1 Viewer)

Millions of migratory birds poisoned by Iraqis in south

By Raysan al-Fahad

Azzaman, February 10, 2011

Millions of migratory birds that take southern Iraq and the marshes as temporary refuge to escape harsh winters in Europe have been poisoned this year, said Iraqi biologist Khalaf –al-Rubaie.

Rubaie said the birds were fed poisoned seeds which southern Iraqi farmers got from the Ministry of Agriculture for cultivation purposes.

He said the poisoning was on such a large-scale that markets in the southern Province of Basra were overflowing with poisoned birds.

Rubaie said Muslims do not eat birds and animals if they are not slaughtered properly and many Iraqis initially shunned buying the birds.

But the farmers, who kill the birds for profit, have been slaughtering them before selling. “This is a pure attempt to defraud and deceive their own citizens,” he said.

Millions of bird, mainly from northern Europe, migrate to southern Iraq every year in winter.

Rubaie is head of a team of Iraqi biologists in Basra. He said he and his colleagues surveyed the marshes in the province for four successive years ending 2000 and found that at least 11 million migratory birds spend their winters in the region every year.

In another survey, he and his team found that every year more than one million kilograms of raw bird meat are sold in winter in Basra alone.

Besides poison, he said Iraqis use nets to catch mainly ducks and other water birds which are valued for their “sweet meant.”

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lashinala said:

I wonder if any years since 2000 have an updated survey. That's got to be a hazard eating poisoned birds also.

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chris butterworth said:

That is horrific, particularly as there has been so much work attempting to restore the Mesopotamian marshlands after Saddam drained them. Thanks for posting this Nichole.

Chris

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NicoleB said:

I was wondering about the time frame too, but figured I ask if anyone has heard anything, since the post is from 2011 ....




I am not sure this article is up to date or what.
My husband stumbled over it, since he keeps an eye on the Iraqi Dinar,...

I don't know what to think...

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Irish Kite said:

Thanx Nicole - there was a recent programme on the BBC about the Iraqi Marshes which appeared quiet thorough but did not mention this problem. Neither did recent updates from Birdlife International via Nature Iraq - lets hope it is indeed out of date!!

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