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Gendarmerie teams in central Türkiye have been patrolling a road known locally as “Turtle Valley” for seven years, helping turtles cross safely while also reducing the risk of traffic accidents.
The patrols take place along the Alacasar-Tatlarin road in Nevsehir, where the turtle population is particularly dense and animals regularly move onto the carriageway.
Officers from the Nevsehir Provincial Gendarmerie Command pick up turtles they find during patrols and carefully move them to safe areas in the direction they were already heading.
Gendarmerie Petty Officer Mehmet Gedik, commander of a public order patrol team at the Central District Gendarmerie Command, said turtles are most commonly seen on the road during their breeding season in May and June.
Traffic patrol teams also take part in the operation, while drivers are warned to slow down and remain alert in areas where turtles and other wild animals may enter the road.
“Our aim is both to protect natural life and to ensure that our drivers can travel safely,” Gedik said.
He explained that officers handle the animals carefully, avoid causing harm and release them outside the road in a safe location matching the direction they were travelling.
Turtles appearing suddenly in traffic can force drivers to brake sharply or carry out unexpected manoeuvres, creating a potential accident risk.
Local driver Erol Demirtas, who uses the road every day, said turtles frequently cross between cultivated fields on both sides of the route.
Demirtas said he welcomed the patrols because drivers may otherwise have to brake suddenly when an animal moves onto the road, potentially triggering an accident.
Another driver, Ramazan Kucukkose, said other wild animals are also occasionally seen along the route and thanked the gendarmerie teams for helping to lower the risk to both motorists and wildlife.
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