The Struggle to Save Iraq's Last Persian Leopards
2022-04-30
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1On a recent day, Bahez and Nabaz Farooq Ali were on Bamo Mountain in Iraq's Kurdistan area.
2The brothers hoped to make video recordings of a Persian leopard.
3It is believed there are only about 1,000 of the animals left in the wild.
4"Our grandparents saw some even during the day," Nabaz said.
5Since then, the animals have almost all disappeared.
6Most Persian leopards are in Iran and Afghanistan.
7Iraqi Kurdish conservationist Hana Raza estimates there may be 25 left in Iraq.
8The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the animal as endangered.
9Conservationists in Iraqi Kurdistan support increased efforts to protect the leopard.
10The animals are threatened by a severe loss of habitat, human interference, hunting and the effects of war.
11Soran Ahmed is a biologist at the University of Sulaimaniya.
12He said about 10 different Persian leopards had been recorded.
13But he added that 10 others have been found dead in the last 10 years, two of them shot by bullets.
14The Ali brothers had left their village of Horen to escape former president Saddam Hussein's violent campaign against the Kurds.
15When they returned in 1991, they found the village empty and partly destroyed.
16"When people returned to...their villages, they also started to hunt randomly," Nabaz said.
17Hunting of the leopards' prey, such as wild goats, helped lead to a decrease in their numbers.
18Hunting of endangered animals is not permitted in Iraq's Kurdish area.
19Anyone caught illegally hunting can be fined.
20But forest police official Akram Saleh said the laws can be difficult to enforce.
21"The area is very large and we don't have the necessary resources to cover it," he said.
22"Hunters have better weapons, better cars than us."
23In parts of Bamo Mountain, land mines have kept humans and cows away from some areas where leopards live, Nabaz said.
24The mines make researchers' work more dangerous.
25Animals in the area are also affected.
26Data from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) show that the Kurdish area lost almost half of its forest between 1999 and 2018.
27That caused a severe loss in the leopard's habitat.
28Razzaq al-Khaylani is a spokesperson for the KRG board of environment.
29He said a lack of public money for conservation and conflicts in the area have stopped some efforts.
30Soran Ahmed said, "Places like Bamo mountain, if effectively protected, could become a breeding site [for the leopards]."
31He added, "We have to save them, they are part of our culture and identity."
32I'm Jonathan Evans.
1On a recent day, Bahez and Nabaz Farooq Ali were on Bamo Mountain in Iraq's Kurdistan area. The brothers hoped to make video recordings of a Persian leopard. It is believed there are only about 1,000 of the animals left in the wild. 2"Our grandparents saw some even during the day," Nabaz said. Since then, the animals have almost all disappeared. 3Most Persian leopards are in Iran and Afghanistan. Iraqi Kurdish conservationist Hana Raza estimates there may be 25 left in Iraq. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the animal as endangered. 4Conservationists in Iraqi Kurdistan support increased efforts to protect the leopard. The animals are threatened by a severe loss of habitat, human interference, hunting and the effects of war. 5Soran Ahmed is a biologist at the University of Sulaimaniya. He said about 10 different Persian leopards had been recorded. But he added that 10 others have been found dead in the last 10 years, two of them shot by bullets. 6The Ali brothers had left their village of Horen to escape former president Saddam Hussein's violent campaign against the Kurds. When they returned in 1991, they found the village empty and partly destroyed. 7"When people returned to...their villages, they also started to hunt randomly," Nabaz said. Hunting of the leopards' prey, such as wild goats, helped lead to a decrease in their numbers. 8Hunting of endangered animals is not permitted in Iraq's Kurdish area. Anyone caught illegally hunting can be fined. But forest police official Akram Saleh said the laws can be difficult to enforce. 9"The area is very large and we don't have the necessary resources to cover it," he said. "Hunters have better weapons, better cars than us." 10In parts of Bamo Mountain, land mines have kept humans and cows away from some areas where leopards live, Nabaz said. The mines make researchers' work more dangerous. Animals in the area are also affected. 11Data from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) show that the Kurdish area lost almost half of its forest between 1999 and 2018. That caused a severe loss in the leopard's habitat. 12Razzaq al-Khaylani is a spokesperson for the KRG board of environment. He said a lack of public money for conservation and conflicts in the area have stopped some efforts. 13Soran Ahmed said, "Places like Bamo mountain, if effectively protected, could become a breeding site [for the leopards]." 14He added, "We have to save them, they are part of our culture and identity." 15I'm Jonathan Evans. 16Charlotte Bruneau and Mohammed Jalal reported on this story for the Reuters news service. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. 17____________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19conservationist -n. someone who works to protect animals, plants, and natural resources or to prevent the loss or waste of natural resources 20habitat -n. the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows 21randomly -adv. in a way that is not regular or that does not follow a plan 22prey -n. an animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food 23breeding -adj. the process by which young animals are produced by their parents