Veterinarian warns against over-hunting by poisons in southern Iraq

THI-QAR / IraqiNews.com: A veterinarian on Friday warned against the over-hunting of birds and fish using poisons in southern Iraq, mainly in Thi-Qar. “The over-hunting by poisons exercised by many hunters made several regions empty from emigrant birds,” Dr. Wesam al-Asadi told IraqiNews.com, noting that the veterinary authorities do not have the necessary equipments to detect these illegal hunting. “Silence towards those criminals will negatively affect the animal species in these regions,” he added. Thi-Qar, 380 km south of Baghdad, has an area of 12,900 square kilometers (4,980.7 sq mi). In 2003 the estimated population of the governorate was 1,454,200 people. Thi-Qar was the second Iraqi province where security responsibilities were transferred from the Multi-National Force (MNF) to the Iraqis. The province’s capital is the city of al-Nassiriya. It also includes the ancient Sumerian ruins of Ur, Eridu, Lagash and Ngirsu. Before 1976 the province was known as al-Muntafiq. SH (P) 1