Five suspected poachers arrested in Chamchamal with weapons and illegal game

SULAYMANIYAH – Authorities have apprehended five suspected poachers in the Chamchamal district of Sulaymaniyah who were found with firearms and evidence of illegally hunted wildlife. The arrests were part of an intensified campaign to combat poaching in Sulaymaniyah governorate’s protected areas.

Hemin Kamarkhan, spokesperson for the Sulaimaniyah Forestry and Environment Police, told 964media, “Instances of illegal hunting, particularly of wild and migratory animals, are resurging across many regions. To address this, officers and personnel are conducting rigorous patrols and setting up checkpoints in mountainous areas. Any poacher caught is immediately detained and brought to justice.”

The arrests were carried out by the security forces in western Sulaymaniyah, who handed the suspects over to the Forestry Police in Chamchamal for further investigation. Kamarkhan confirmed that the poachers had hunted a wild animal and two partridges, but the meat had been consumed before the arrests.

In addition to the arrests, authorities confiscated an array of weapons and equipment used for poaching, including three Kalashnikov rifles, 200 rounds of ammunition, five magazines, one shotgun with seven rounds, one handgun with 14 rounds, three machetes, three flashlights, seven mobile phones, and a vehicle used by the suspects.

“The case files for these poachers have been finalized, and they have been referred to the judiciary for legal action,” Kamarhan said, emphasizing the commitment to enforcing laws that protect wildlife in the region.

The 2008 environmental protection and improvement laws in the Kurdistan Region strictly prohibit the hunting, killing, capturing, possession, or trading of endangered species. Violators face penalties that include imprisonment for up to one month and fines ranging from 150,000 to 200 million dinars. Repeat offenses carry even harsher consequences, with penalties doubling for subsequent violations.