Safari tours lure nature enthusiasts to Hacettepe

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Beytepe campus is a natural area home to various types of animals and plants. Now the university will show this richness to people by organizing safari tours. AA photo

Ankara’s Hacettepe University is set to organize safari tours for schools, universities and others that are interested in nature at its Beytepe campus, an eco-island with rich fauna, animal species, botanical gardens and lakes.

The first of the “Beytepe Safari” tours was organized on the weekend along a two-kilometer course with the participation of the university’s rector, Professor Murat Tuncer, and academics.

During the first nature tour, participants observed and photographed amphibians, reptilians, birds, mammals and plant species in parks, gardens and forestry areas on the campus, as well as animals like foxes, hedgehogs, weasel jaybirds, titmouses, woodpeckers and other creatures.

Participants also saw visuals of animals that were taken by motion-triggered cameras. Speaking to members of the press, Tuncer said the Beytepe campus was a natural area home to species that were rare in not only Turkey, but the world as well. Ultimately, the university aims to show this richness to the world, Tuncer said.

“This is why we started nature tours with students and members of the press and will continue organizing it for citizens with the name ‘Beytepe Safari.’ The tours will be organized during certain months of the year and accompanied by academics and students,” the rector said.

Nile geese on the campus

Tuncer also said Nile geese had been brought to the campus and that visitors from 17 countries came to the campus to see the birds.

Hacettepe University Biology Department Associate Professor Zafer Ayaş, who accompanied members of the press on the tour, said that as well as migratory species, a number of other animal and plant species could be observed in fall on the campus.

Professors have determined that foxes stroll around the forest on the campus, woodpeckers continued to exist and that jaybirds were dominant in the trees, Ayaş said.

“Moreover, a steppe-like and wetland habitat is also observed on the campus during this season. We also observe teal types and water fowl. They are seen through motion-triggered cameras,” he said.
Associate Professor Galip Akaydın, who is a member of the same department, said Beytepe was home to 510 species of plants and that they planned to organize different safari tours depending on the season.