Wild boars raid streets in Tukey’s Marmaris district

MUĞLA

Wild boars have been spotted wandering in the streets of the southwestern province of Muğla’s Marmaris district, which is one of the tourism hotspots of Turkey, and has become a subject of grave concern and fear among residents, the officials said on Dec. 11.

Wild boars have been hogging the district center in search of food, and residents have raised concerns over their safety.

“They used to come one by one. But nowadays, they are flocking in search of food. We are very scared,” Mehmet Poliat, a 51year-old resident, told Demirören News Agency.

Arzu Sarıtaş, a 38-year-old woman, also said that people do not feel safe going out anymore.

Officials have been silent on the “Save us” calls from the public.

Explaining the reason why the animals have been raiding the district center, Marmaris Animal Rights Association Chairperson Tülay Yıldız said: “Some animal lovers feed them with good intention, but they should not. As long as they do this, these wild animals become like domesticated pets.”

Underlining that the association made some meetings with the previous administrations to stop the wild boars leaving the wild, she said: “We were supposed to draw a line between the forests and the city center. We were going to put the food in that area so that we were going to keep the wild boars approaching the center. However, we could not take action.”

Yıldız also warned the officials, saying, “These animals’ population is growing. Sooner or later, either the animals or the people might get hurt.”