Turkish center treats birds, releases them back to wild

By Halil Fidan

SANLIURFA, Turkey

A center focused on saving southeastern Turkey’s wilderness areas released 10 rare birds to their natural habitat Tuesday.

The Golpinar Wilderness Rescue and Rehab Center in Turkey’s Sanliurfa province has been treating the birds -- including a vulture, a barn owl and a hawk -- for around four months.

Israfil Erdogan, a local official of Turkey’s General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, told Anadolu Agency the center has been operating for around five years and has treated hundreds of birds so far.

“Our teams at the center take a close interest in animals. We release the animals to their natural environment after completion of treatment,” Erdogan said.

“We [also] look after some animals for a lifetime whose natural habitats we believe no longer exist,” he added.

Erdogan said the center’s aim is to “provide better living conditions for the animals that share nature with us”.

Resat Ektiren, a veterinarian, said the center has released hundreds of animals back into the wild following their rehabilitation.