Turkish Town Holds Honoring Ceremony for Retired Donkeys

A man guides donkeys through a mountainous road covered by snow east of Srinagar, India. Reuters
A man guides donkeys through a mountainous road covered by snow east of Srinagar, India. Reuters
TT

Turkish Town Holds Honoring Ceremony for Retired Donkeys

A man guides donkeys through a mountainous road covered by snow east of Srinagar, India. Reuters
A man guides donkeys through a mountainous road covered by snow east of Srinagar, India. Reuters

In a rare occasion, a ceremony has been held for three garbage pick-up donkeys who have completed their tenure in the southeastern province of Mardin.

The ceremony was organized in Artuklu district of Mardin State, where the municipality uses 40 donkeys to collect garbage from narrow alleys featuring ladders obstructing the activity of garbage pick-up vehicles.

Turkish TV channels showed reports on the concert, which saw segments of international classical music of Mozart and Beethoven. Cleaning workers in the municipality also served some melon and vegetables for the three retired donkeys in honor of their efforts.

Municipal official Kadri Toparlı said: “The municipality was obliged to use donkeys in collecting garbage because many of the district’s alleyways are narrow and include ladders, making it difficult to collect waste through vehicles intended for that purpose.”



Dozens of Exotic Animals Seized at Turkish Border

A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
TT

Dozens of Exotic Animals Seized at Turkish Border

A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Turkish customs officials in the northwestern city of Edirne discovered dozens of exotic animals being smuggled into Türkiye from Greece, The Associated Press said.

State-run Anadolu Agency reported that the mid-sized sedan with Greek license plates was carrying three kangaroos, three alpacas and one Patagonian mara in the trunk, and 12 parrots and 23 flying squirrels inside the vehicle. Many of the animals are juveniles.

Photos from the scene show the larger animals bound and squeezed together in tight confinement, while the smaller ones were crowded in cages.

The private Demiroren News Agency identified the driver of the vehicle as Yuksel D., who was subsequently detained by authorities.

All the animals survived and will be delivered to the Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks.