One man’s wildest dream
Computer engineer Kemal Basat invited the North Cyprus public to help turn his dream into reality when he opened his 30-dönüm Taşkent Nature Park and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre last spring. Almost one year on. ANNE CANALP visited the recreational and
A MASSIVE hilltop nature conservation site below the painted mountainside TRNC flag has begun to take shape over the past year. The Taşkent project dreamed up by internet entrepreneur turned wildlife champion Kemal Basat opened at the beginning of March last year as a park and picnic site for countryside-loving families. At the time, it already hosted its first pens and cages for injured wildlife. Since then, Mr Basat’s dream of an up-to-date general wildlife rehabilitation centre has grown to host high-definition CCTV-monitored holding cells for animal casualties, aquaria, turtle tanks, an office and a small surgery — with later plans for research laboratories. A new 40,000-tonne wildlife reservoir in a rehabilitated gravel pit has also been established, and has already harvested 3,000 tonnes from the winter rains. Mr Basat said: “I plan to install a watchtower for nature lovers to observe our wildlife visitors. We are not planning to use the water.” The site’s access road has been redesigned in line with its extensive stone wall terracing, and a huge plastic greenhouse complex was also erected recently for agricultural and education projects.
Mr Basat, zoologist Mert Beşiktaş, biologist Andrea Barden, wildlife rescue expert Erol Şeherlioğlu and former North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature (Kuşkor) head Martin Marancos and a team of over 20 keepers and staff have their work cut out for them, collecting and caring for not only injured wildlife, but a host of abandoned exotics.
Despite international pro-
tection laws against the trading of snapping turtles, one specimen found his way to the island and ended up unwanted by all except Mr Basat.
The “snapper” was later joined by two ostriches from a local farm who had “hanged” themselves on barbed wire before the owner turned them over to the centre.
An emu, an American red squirrel and two macacque monkeys rescued from a municipality cage are also destined for a Nature Park, currently under construction, which will be open to the public and aims to educate and familiarise children with the animal world. Mr Basat said: “Our aim was rescue and return to the wild but these exotics have nowhere to go.”
The monkeys, rescued in pitiful condition after the male had killed a caged rival, are now in such good condition that the pregnant female successfully gave birth to a third at the centre.
Mr Basat added: “We also have non-endemic red-necked terrapins which are highly aggressive and would cause problems for our native terrapins if released. Boa constrictors and pythons are also being sold here, which is another worry.”
The site already boasts what it says is the only wheelchair-friendly picnic site in North Cyprus, with special picnic tables, play area and toilets, a colourful adventure playground, a café restaurant or individual barbecues and seating.
The purpose-built, sevenday-a-week site has already attracted thousands of visitors, offers ample parking and has hosted events like the annual state children’s archaeology camp, held there in the autumn.