Migratory birds that are injured or exhausted during their journey are being treated at a Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Hatay before continuing their migration.
Operated in cooperation with the Nature Conservation and National Parks Directorate and Hatay Mustafa Kemal University (HMKÜ) on the Tayfur Sökmen Campus, the center provides care not only for migratory birds but also for wild animals such as gazelles, deer, roe deer, foxes and wolves.
As one of the most critical stopovers on migratory routes, Hatay frequently sees birds that are injured or weakened for various reasons. These animals are collected by teams and brought to the center.
At the facility, teams from the Nature Conservation and National Parks Directorate, along with faculty members and students from HMKÜ’s Veterinary Faculty, treat the birds forced to pause their difficult journeys.
During the spring period, 30 birds were hosted at the center, with 10 successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild, including storks, short-toed snake eagles, hawks, doves, a long-eared owl and a scops owl.
Care is ongoing for other birds, including eight hawks, six storks, two buzzards, two kestrels, a peregrine falcon and a moorhen.
Nuri Akın, head of the Nature Conservation and National Parks Branch, said nearly 500,000 birds pass through Hatay’s skies during the spring migration.
He noted that many birds are found injured or exhausted due to factors such as hunter attacks, collisions with power lines, electrocution and fatigue.
Akın added that, alongside routine field checks, public reports are crucial.
“During migration periods, citizens inform our directorate when they see injured animals. Our teams bring them to the center where they receive treatment. Once suitable for release, they are returned to nature. Our goal is to help these birds safely continue their migration,” he said.
