World’s tallest teenager helps animals

KARABÜK

Rumeysa Gelgi, who holds the Guinness record for being the tallest teenager in the world, has been carrying out a campaign on social media to help stray animals.

 Gelgi, who has Weaver syndrome, cannot touch stray animals due to the risk of catching infection that could harm her weak immune system. But that hasn’t stopped her from starting a campaign online on the “Kırıkkuyruk” (broken tail) platform with the slogan: “Be the hero of our friends on the streets.” 

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Gelgi said that with her partners, whom she met on social media, they worked to find food, homes and health services for stray animals.

“Kırıkkuyruk is a platform used to serve the needs of stray animals. It is a website for animal lovers who want to help stray animals. This project first started on social media and then became a website. I joined it during the construction of the website,” she said. 

Gelgi said people can help animals in many different ways. 

“Animal lovers can place an ad on the website about any issue. Or they can respond to the ads. The goal of Kırıkkuyruk is not only to provide aid but also to create a database for all animal lovers. The website also provides information about veterinarians, pet shops and municipalities that are volunteers to help stray animals. There are also informative videos and articles,” she added. 

She said that they tried to reach all stray animals around Turkey, adding: “We expect those who want to help stray animals voluntarily to become members of our platform. The founders and members of this project are not people who just want to make a name for themselves. They want this project to be known. I do my best to contribute to the promotion of the website.” 

Stating that the project was only active in Turkey, Gelgi said: “We don’t have connections abroad. But we have foreign team members who support the project. People might need help about the animals they take care of or they might need extra food or anything else. They can apply to the website.” 

Gelgi has a standing height of 213.6 centimeters. She entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2014 when she was 17. She received the award in a special presentation in her hometown of the Black Sea province of Karabük’s Safranbolu district. 

Her condition means that she suffers ongoing physical problems, such as difficulty in walking.