Three men who illegally killed a goat in Eastern Turkey caught on film by photographer

TUNCELİ – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

Three men who killed a mountain goat in Turkey’s eastern province of Tunceli despite a hunting ban have been caught and fined 15,000 Turkish Liras after a photographer took photos of them.

Local amateur photographer Giray Kocaman went picnicking near Tunceli’s Mazgirt province when he saw two men stripping the skin off a mountain goat they had shot. Kocaman took photos of the men, who tried to cover their faces once they realized their photos were being taken. He then reported the men to the gendarmerie.

One of the two men tried to escape in a car, while the other one hid in the forest leaving the goat behind. The hunters fired a warning shot at Kocaman, who tried to come closer to the goat’s body to take more photos.

Gendarmerie forces detained the man who was trying to escape the scene in a car. He was released after an interrogation, during which he denied claims about killing the mountain goat within a hunting reserve. He then admitted the killing after being shown photos taken by Kocaman.

The other hunter was also detained, and authorities are searching for a third man thought to be involved in the killing of the goat.

The body of the mountain goat was brought to the city center by a team from the Tunceli National Parks and Nature Conservation branch, in order to raise public awareness against hunting banned animals.

Ali Haydar Gürsönmez, the head of Tunceli’s National Parks and Nature Conservation branch, said they were extremely determined to protect the region's nature.

“Citizens of Tunceli help us greatly on this issue [the preservation of local flora and fauna], but illegal hunters coming from nearby provinces and regions can from time to time cause us trouble,” said Gürsönmez.

He added that the three men, including the one still being pursued, had each been fined 5,000 Turkish Liras.