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Bugra Yalcin, a groom from Ankara, Türkiye's capital in central Anatolia, received exotic animals from his friends at his wedding instead of the traditional gold. The gift reflects a hobby that began in childhood and now fills his home with reptiles and insects.
Yalcin says his interest in wildlife began at a young age. As a child, he examined salamanders found near a lake and researched the types and living conditions of insects he came across in nature, a curiosity that shaped the years that followed.
When Yalcin found injured insects, he cared for them and released them back into the wild. Over time, the interest turned into a hobby of keeping exotic animals, a pursuit he says has gained popularity in Türkiye in recent years.
Yalcin keeps uromastyx, Peter's banded skink, Sudan plated lizard, Senegal chameleon, fire skink, African fat-tailed gecko and iguana at home. He says he pursues the hobby within legal limits and that the animals given at his wedding are documented by Türkiye's nature conservation and national parks authority.
According to Yalcin, Türkiye's conditions are not suited to exotic animals, and care demands detail and effort. Every two days, he says, the animals are showered with warm water, wiped with a vinegar-dampened cloth and massaged with aloe vera before returning to bask in the sun.
At the wedding, friends gave Yalcin a stick insect, a green iguana, a uromastyx and a Peter's banded skink. "More valuable than gold for me," he said, adding that the animals are "like my children." His family, initially surprised, now helps with feeding, and his wife supports the hobby.
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