Gendarmerie, HAYDI provide food to wild animals in E. Turkey
HAYDI team delivers food with gendarmerie in Elazığ, eastern Turkey, Feb. 7, 2022. (DHA Photo)


Extreme cold weather in eastern Turkey has made it difficult for wildlife in the region to find food. The animal condition monitoring department (HAYDI) and gendarmerie search and rescue (JAK) teams have been dispatched to Elazığ to help feed the animals.

Last month, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Minister Bekir Pakdemirli provided food to wild animals in Ankara's Beypazarı district.

HAYDI team delivers food with gendarmerie in Elazığ, eastern Turkey, Feb. 7, 2022. (DHA Photo)

The HAYDI team, which went to Hazarbaba Mountain with their vehicles, could not proceed beyond a certain distance due to heavy snow. The JAK teams at Hazarbaba Ski Center came to the rescue and carried the food to the upper parts of Hazarbaba Mountain through snowmobiles.

In Hazarbaba Mountain, which is 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) high, the snow exceeds 2 meters (6.5 feet) in winters. Thick snow can be difficult to move around as the animals cannot find food easily.

On July 28, the Turkish Ministry of the Interior assigned HAYDI to take care of the animals. HAYDI is a mobile application developed to intervene and reduce crimes against animals.