Centuries-old plane tree in Yalova home to puppies
YALOVA - Anadolu Agency
Eight puppies, which are living inside a hollow 800-year-old plane tree in the northwestern province of Yalova’s Çınarcık district, have been protected by villagers since their mother disappeared a few days ago.
The 24-meter-high and 22-meter-wide plane tree, which is one of the most visited spots by tourists in the region, was officially registered as a “monumental tree” in 2009 by Kocaeli’s Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection Board.
Şenköy village local Gülcan Ersoy said she saw the puppies by chance a few days ago and they did not know where their mother was.
“They had their mother with them in the first two days and I was feeding her. But she disappeared three days ago. We are taking care of the puppies as locals here. I feed them with milk because they are so small. We want to make them be adopted. It is very cold here. These puppies need love, food and a warm shelter. I cannot adopt them because I have other pets,” she said.
Fellow local Ersin Parlak said the villagers were working to meet the needs of the puppies.
“We give them milk. We will protect them until they get older and then they will be left to nature,” she added.
