Diyala orders probe into vanishing gazelles
On Monday, Diyala Governor Adnan Mohammed Abbas al-Shammari ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the disappearance of hundreds of rare Reem gazelles from the Mandali Reserve in eastern Diyala, following a Shafaq News report that spotlighted the issue.
According to an official document, the five-member committee includes agricultural engineers assigned to prepare a detailed report on the missing herd.
Earlier, Mandali district administrator Ali Dhamad al-Zuheiri revealed that the reserve's gazelle population had plummeted to just 10–20, down from over 400 Reem gazelles.
Diyala's Agriculture Directorate denied responsibility for the decline, noting that the reserve was handed over to the Department of Forestry and Desertification when it still contained around 300 gazelles.
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