Endangered turtle spotted in southeastern Türkiye

By Orhan Pehlul

ADIYAMAN, Türkiye (AA) – Fishermen in Türkiye’s southeastern Adiyaman province captured the moment they released the endangered Euphrates softshell turtle.

The fishermen on the shore of the Ataturk Dam near Kizilcapinar village spotted the unique turtle caught on the line.

The turtle, which was pulled ashore, escaped from the fishing line and disappeared into the water.

They recorded this precise moment on their mobile phone.

Mehmet Zulfu Yildiz, an expert on marine life, said the scientific name of the critically endangered species is Rafetus Euphraticus.

Noting the turtle only lives in the Mesopotamian region, he said it is found wherever the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers flow such as in Iran, Türkiye and Syria.

The turtles normally lay their eggs in the sand and soft soils on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, he said.

But due to the construction of dams, their nesting ground has submerged, he added.

"... they cannot find a suitable environment to lay their eggs,” he added.

Yildiz urged fishermen not to harm this endangered species and release them into the water if they get caught on the line.

Adiyaman province is home also to Mount Nemrut, where the mausoleum of Antiochus I (69–34 B.C.), who reigned over Commagene, a kingdom founded north of Syria and the Euphrates after the breakup of Alexander's empire is located. It is "one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period" according to UNESCO.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar