Veterinarians help injured animals in Turkey's fire zones

Massive wildfires that erupted eight days ago in Turkey's southern and southwestern coastal towns destroyed a massive amount of land, killing at least eight people and several animals.

In response, the Istanbul Municipality has sent 43 veterinarians to the affected areas to provide medical support to wild and farm animals and stray cats and dogs, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We are trying to do all our bests to save the affected animals, no matter what species, by driving hundreds of kilometres, sometimes in the fire, without having a rest," Hakan Dincer, a veterinarian working for the Kadikoy Municipality Veterinary Affairs Directorate in Istanbul, said.

Foods with high nutritional value, oxygen tubes, oxygen masks, disinfectants, antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and vitamins were among the supply materials sent for the animals.


On Wednesday morning, Dincer and his team of three tried to treat a badly injured donkey, which escaped from the fire and took refuge on a beach in Bodrum, a resort town of the Mugla province.

Besides the injured donkey, Dincer said that "we have also rescued several iguanas, horses, pheasants, and hundreds of chickens".

Turkan Ceylan, a local veterinary who assists the Istanbul team, told Xinhua that the affected areas needs a proper coordination mechanism to better deal with the wounded animals.


Meanwhile, veterinarians have also pointed out that it did not yet known how much the wildlife is affected, as it is not yet possible to enter deep in the burned areas.-IANS