Government reveals innovative tactics to protect nationally symbolic creature: 'More effective'

With trail cameras and drones, Turkey is using technology to dissuade and apprehend poachers in its national parks.

As Türkiye Today reported, officials have set up 147 trail cameras across eight provinces in Northern and Eastern Anatolia. Eight drones are also on patrol, bolstering the surveillance. Turkey is one of the world's top producers of combat drones, but as this story shows, they can also serve a useful, peaceful purpose. Combined, the cameras and drones are making life extremely difficult for poachers, with 529 illegal hunters caught between 2023 and 2024.

Although improved surveillance has not yet eradicated poaching, it has resulted in a marked decrease in the practice. "The use of these tools has made our poaching prevention efforts more effective and deterred many poachers," Akif Umuzer, director of the 13th Regional Directorate, told Türkiye Today.

Turkey is home to several important species, including the Eurasian bear, gray wolf, and bezoar ibex (a subspecies of wild goat). The crackdown on poaching has boosted the populations of bezoar ibex and wild goats in Anatolia. Wild goats play an important role in the ecosystem as they chomp down on hard-to-reach lichens and shrubs in mountainous regions. They not only prevent plant overgrowth, but they're also a key food source for native predators.

Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City?

The gray wolf is Turkey's national animal, and some Turkish soccer players have even adopted the wolf symbol for goal celebrations. According to Turkish legend, a gray wolf guided Turkish tribesmen to a new home in Anatolia. The country is also home to around 3,000 Eurasian bears, whose habitat is under threat from human encroachment. They have a keen sense of smell and will travel vast distances for food, which can bring them into conflict with humans.

If caught, poachers face stiff financial penalties, including a fine of $17,150 per animal. That's a pretty hefty sum for anyone, but in rural Turkey, it's a fortune. The annual household income per capita is around $2,382. With heightened surveillance and local cooperation, Nebi Dogan, director of the Erzurum Directorate, was satisfied with the heightened protection of Turkey's wildlife.

"Using this technology has allowed us to identify poachers more effectively, and the overall number of poachers has decreased," Dogan told Türkiye Today.

Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species?

Definitely 👍