Wild animals receive special treatment in Ankara

ANKARA

Nature conservation teams relocate baby wild animals in need of nursing found in forested land to an animal welfare unit in Ankara, where they obtain specialized care.

Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Science’s Animal Welfare Unit nurses baby wild animals requiring care, such as red deer, roe deer and foxes, received from teams at the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP). After receiving specialized care, these animals are eventually released back into their natural habitats once they reach maturity.

Veterinary surgeons and voluntary students perform necessary controls on the animals, detecting the infants’ state of health before releasing them back into the wild.

The chief physician of the faculty’s animal hospital Associate Professor Dr. Oytun Okan Şenel has remarked that the wild animals unit provides health and rehabilitation services to all the wild animals in need of care.

Indicating that they receive approximately 1,000 animals each year, Şenel said, “Our primary goal here is to send these wild animals back to the wildlife they belong to. Our whole team makes a great bid for this purpose. We provide the animals with necessary care here and ensure they return to the region they came from.”

Referring to the rehabilitation process of the animals, Şenel said: “It is not easy to provide for the animals’ needs in such a setting. That is the largest flaw in the rehabilitation procedure. We strive not to raise them accustomed to the scent and texture of human skin, so we avoid touching them directly. We do not name them, and we do not address them.”

Şenel has urged citizens to observe wild animal babies in nature for a period, in case their mothers are nearby.

"An infant that seems to be by itself is actually left there by its mother as she thought it would be secure for it. Every time you find an infant, it is best to keep it under watch for a bit and see if a mother or parent comes to check on it, provided there is no obvious health issue, such as an injury,” he warned.

Additionally, the chief physician stated that rather than bringing assistance themselves, citizens should use the 'HELLO112' line to alert the appropriate authorities if they think the baby animals require urgent care.

Şenel also elaborated on the species of wild animals they have received until now, stating that they mostly receive raptors, though the number of mammals has also seen an uptick recently. He added that they had the infants of common swifts and kestrels the most this year.

Voluntary students bottle-feed two red deer infants and one roe deer baby with goat’s milk under veterinary professionals’ supervision in the unit at present, ensuring their natural adaptation in the unit's open environment, in addition to taking care of the infants of hawks and foxes, Şenel said.