By AMIR-HUSSEIN RADJY
CAIRO (AP) — A few days after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran, Reza Kiamarzi decided to trek into the mountains outside his home city of Isfahan in southern Iran. A veterinarian and researcher on birds of prey, his mission was to find nests of endangered falcons high up in the cliffs.
The bombardment during the war on Iran earlier this year coincided with the breeding season for Iran’s cherished Saker and red-naped Shaheen falcons, some of the fastest flying birds in the world. He knew of two nests near military bases that had been struck, and he wanted to know if the explosions, vibrations and noise affected birds laying eggs or raising chicks.
“It’s a long climb to the foot of the cliffs. And then we have to rock climb to reach the nests,” Kiamarzi said.
War and a deepening economic crisis are adding further challenges for…
