Nearly 500 Wild Animals Were Treated in 9 in Konya

Approximately 500 wild animals were treated in 9 months at the Injured Animal Rehabilitation Center operating within the Karatay Municipality Zoo in Konya.

The animals that citizens find sick or injured and bring to the center are treated by veterinarians.

Since the establishment of the center in 2001, more than 3,000 animals such as bears, lynx, wolf cubs, foxes, pelicans, eagles, hawks, flamingos and owls have been treated and released to their natural habitats. In the 9-month period of this year, 500 animals were treated.

Abdurrahman Pirinç, a veterinarian at the zoo, said the majority of the animals brought to the center were poultry predators.

Explaining that the treatment of each animal brought to them was meticulous, Pirinç said:

"This year, citizens brought close to 200-250 animals. There are 100-150 animals received through the National Parks. There are also nearly 100 animals that have been reached and brought through CIMER or municipal hotlines. The animals we restored to health were released to their natural habitats. Many animals, from hawks to red hawks, from snake eagles to vultures to puhus, are brought to our center either indirectly or directly because they are weakened or injured. After these animals are treated, if they are capable of flying, they are released back into nature. If they have lost this ability, they live to the end of their lives in the rehabilitation and accommodation areas within the zoo."

Pirinç noted that the number of animals treated at the center is expected to reach 600 by the end of the year.