In the southern mores of Iraq, the number of buffaloes has dropped sharply in the last decade. Experts warn that the main reason is long-term droughts that threaten both animals and farming families. "I had about 130 buffales, now only 50 or 60 left. Some died and sold others because there was no water, "says 38-year-old villager Sabah Ismail.
According to Jasim al-Assad, who studied the marshes, the number of buffaloes in Iraq has fallen since 2015, about 150,000, reaching 65,000. One of the reasons for this, the drying of the soil, the growth of feed prices, water pollution, as well as the complex economic conditions, which make the villagers leave their settlements, Reuters reports.
The situation is worried about the upper currents of Tigris and Euphrates in Turkey and the dams built in Iran. Climate change, inefficient irrigation systems and lack of planning lead to a decaying rural lifestyle. "God knows, the death rate of buffalo can reach 50 percent this summer," warns another cattle breeder.
