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Teams from Türkiye's Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) General Directorate treated 4,732 injured wild animals and returned them to their natural habitats in the first seven months of 2026, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said in a statement posted on social media.
Among the animals treated was a kestrel found injured and later named "Cesur", or "brave" by children who discovered it, according to the minister.
DKMP teams have rehabilitated a total of 58,022 injured wild animals between 2021 and 2025, according to the agency's data. The directorate operates rehabilitation centers in cities across Türkiye, including Afyonkarahisar, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Konya, Sanliurfa, Mersin, Sinop, Kars, Van, Rize and Hatay.
Local residents, police, and gendarmerie personnel typically report injured animals to DKMP teams, particularly in rural areas. Once collected, animals undergo health assessments before receiving treatment that can include surgery, intensive care and species-specific behavioral rehabilitation to prepare them for release. Before being returned to the wild, animals are screened for parasitic and infectious diseases.
Yumakli cited the Cesur case as representative of the DKMP teams' broader wildlife rehabilitation work, which he said forms part of the ministry's ongoing efforts to protect the country's biodiversity.
The ministry shared the figures as part of its regular reporting on conservation and wildlife recovery programs.
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