Rise in exotic animals smuggled into TRNC

MEERKATS, owls and alligator snapping turtles are just some of the animals being smuggled into North Cyprus.

Taşkent Nature Park (TNP) director Kemal Basat highlighted the growing problem of exotic creatures being brought illegally to the TRNC in an interview with Cyprus Today’s sister newspaper Kıbrıs.

He stated that there are three different categories of animals within the TNP’s Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute.

“There are sick, injured and needy animals that come here after being reported to the 1190 Wildlife Hotline,” he said.

“Our aim is to release wild animals in our country back to nature after their treatment and rehabilitation is completed.

“Then there are wild animals that live in the Wildlife Shelter that cannot return to nature but can survive on their own and live in comfort if certain criteria are met.

“[The third category] is untamed exotic animals that were illegally smuggled into the country.

“These animals, which were confiscated by the state, are given to the TNP. [Some] were also turned over to us by members of the public because they could not look after them.”

Mr Basat pointed out that there are “many animal species” in the TNP, “such as two species of monkeys; raccoons, pythons, boa constrictors, iguanas, meerkats, lizards, alligator snapping turtles and deer”.

Emphasising that tortoises and turtles are among the creatures “most frequently brought to our country illegally”, Mr Basat said that although the import of redeared slider turtles and all turtles has been prohibited for more than 10 years, redeared sliders are brought to North Cyprus and sold illegally.

Mr Basat stated that mainly turtles and squirrels come from Turkey and that recently 230 tortoises were seized at Gazimağusa Port and turned over to them.

Speaking about the squirrels, Mr Basat continued: “There are prohibited and illegally caught squirrels in Turkey. In this case, eight out of 10 squirrels die while being caught or after being caught. The same is true for tortoises.

“Tortoises are animals that can live for a long time even in an unventilated environment. Because of their hard shells, it’s hard to know when they’re sick and many die after being sold.”

Mr Basat said that the TNP was set up with the “belief that 40-50 animals would come a year” but that they had received 800 animals in the last year, or the equivalent of three a day.

The greater than expected number of animals presents challenges when it comes to transporting them to the TNP.

“There are animals [that need collecting] in Dilekkaya, Paşaköy, İskele and Gazimağusa,” Mr Basat said. “We posted an ad advising that citizens can transport the animals to the nature park but only one volunteer replied to it.”

Mr Basat explained that TNP members have visited municipalities to discuss the issue of animal transportation and that each municipality can bring the wild animals within its jurisdiction to the TNP.

“It is impossible for a centre, a person or an organisation to solve the island’s entire wild animal problem by snapping their fingers,” Mr Basat continued. “At that point, we need cooperation.”

He also warned that wild animals can be “killed by love” if they are not handled in the right way.

“When we find a wild animal, holding it, loving it and the maternal instinct to immediately feed it are the worst things we can do for the animal,” he said.

“Stress can sometimes kill an animal. When we hold wild animals, they don’t think that you love and care about them. They think that you are trying to catch them and eat them so they get very stressed at that moment.”

He warned that especially trying to kiss a wild animal can cause “serious discomfort” to the creature.

“Kissing animals such as small owls, birds and rabbits is absolutely wrong,” he said.

The “most logical thing to do” is to put the animal in a cardboard box and keep it away from such behaviour, not feed it and then call 1190.

“When the animal comes to us, we put it in a dark place until it calms down and then we make the necessary interventions and examinations,” Mr Basat said.

“Even if it is injured, if we see that the animal is stressed then we can delay the examination for a few hours. Otherwise the animal may die.”

In addition, Mr Basat explained that “birds should never be put in wire cages” because they can damage the birds’ feathers, which he said take months to grow back.

Mr Basat said that “90 percent of the snakes that are run over and killed” are non-venomous snakes, and that killing snakes causes “serious damage to the ecosystem”.

“We try to kill snakes when we see them on the road, then we complain that the number of mice has increased,” he said. “The same goes for owls. No matter which animal it is, it’s important to do the right thing.”