Honey hunters hollow out 150-year-old tree in Darbandikhan village, residents say

SULAYMANIYAH — An old tree estimated to be nearly 150 years old was damaged in Birkey village in Darbandikhan district after unknown individuals hollowed it out in an attempt to extract honey, local residents and forestry police said.

Rizgar Suleiman, a resident of Birkey, told 964media the tree had been targeted for months.

“For several months, this tree has been harmed, and some people hollowed it out to extract honey, which caused serious damage,” he said.

Suleiman said he filled the trunk with soil and stones after seeing its condition.

“When I saw the tree like that, I filled it with soil and stones so that strong winds would not break it and cause it to fall completely,” he said.

A source from the Darbandikhan forestry police told 964media no arrests have been made so far.

“This case is not new and goes back several months, but until now no one has been arrested over cutting or damaging trees for honey,” the source said.

He added, “Whenever we are informed of such cases, we immediately go to the site, investigate and arrest those responsible.”

The source said a forestry police team plans to visit Birkey village to follow up on the incident and check whether similar cases exist in the surrounding area.