In the pitch black of night Emrah Çoban shines a torch into the forest but sees only coniferous trees and a winding stream. He forces his labouring SUV up an incline and across a set of train tracks. Next to him is his wife and fellow conservationist Aysegül Karaahmetoglu.
Then, two sets of tiny lights reflect back: the eyes of a brown bear and her cub. As they run from the sound of the car’s engine, other dark shapes move, too. Three, four, seven, then eight bears, all within a few dozen metres of each other in a scene more reminiscent of the Alaskan wilderness than the eastern Turkish highlands close to Sarikamis.
Around the bears, 12 in all, a pack of semi-feral dogs bark incessantly. The bear cubs are unsure which way to turn. With no way out, another, a massive adult, decides simply to curl up and lie down.
Then, a pair of powerful wild boar appear – ignoring the seemingly mortal danger of hungry bears, humans and dogs – digging ferociously at the ground.
The reason they’ve gathered here? To feast on the stinking landfill that lies underneath.
The spread of humans into the wilds of Anatolia mean large animals around the town of Sarikamis see the local landfill as their primary source of food.
Every day, rubbish trucks serve up fresh deliveries of discarded food, irresistible ready-made servings for animals. The dump, however, is next to a railway line and road, and several bears and wolves have been killed by passing trains and cars.
Locals, too, have campaigned for higher hunting quotas as brown bears, attracted by human activity, increasingly descend down from the surrounding mountains. Conservationists say this is forcing the bears into a conflict with people they can only ever lose.
So, to separate humans and fauna, the KuzeyDoga conservation society and Turkey’s ministry for forestry are establishing a160-kilometre-long corridor and reforestation zone to allow bears, wolves and other large animals unhindered travel to the Georgian border where they can again mix freely with neighbouring populations.
Aside from keeping the bears away from people, it is hoped the corridor will help diversify animal populations by facilitating breeding. So far, two brown bears have been tracked using the route, with one travelling more than 100km north.
Çoban is the science coordinator for KuzeyDoga and Karaahmetoglu is an animal rehabilitation veterinarian at Kafkas University in Kars. They hope the corridor will save endangered brown bears, Caucasian lynx and 15 packs of grey wolves.
The pair prepare for a trip to the summit of Sarikamis Allahuekber Mountains National Park to pick up signals from wolves collared with tracking devices, but heavy fog forces them to bail out.
On the way down the mountain, a call comes in from a farmer in a nearby village. A belt-type object has been found in the fields.
We reach Hamamli village where Çoban asks the local imam to put out a call over the mosque’s loudspeaker asking for the object to be brought in. Five minutes later, Emircan, a boy no more than 10 years old, drags a bear collar behind him.
“Where did you get this? This is a very important find; thank you,” says Çoban.
In a part of the world where for many the battle for survival against the raw elements and animals such as bears is etched in the mind, there are challenges in protecting large carnivores. Because some bears have become used to the sight and smell of humans around the landfill, they have lost their sense of fear, sometimes with disastrous consequences. In 2011, a 300-kilogram bear was shot and killed.
“Some guys come out to the dump to drink and watch the bears; they see the bears feeding as a kind of entertainment,” said Karaahmetoglu.
Data from tagged bears also suggests some have become lazy and may not use the corridor.
But conservationists say it is better the bears are raiding the dump, 5km from Sarikamis town, than trundling through peoples’ homes looking for food.
What is also encouraging is the government’s new-found interest in preserving the wilds of Turkey. “By providing wider access to the forest for prey species in the region, it will be reduced to human-predator conflict,” minister for forestry and water affairs, Veysel Eroglu, said of the corridor plan. The government is to sow 38.5 million wild fruit seedlings in the next three years to serve as food for the animals in the 28,500-hectare corridor.
Whether the bears of Sarikamis can be weaned off their trash addiction remains to be seen. But the corridor is a crucial step in replenishing the wilderness.
Stephen Starr is a freelance journalist based in Turkey.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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England v West Indies
England squad for the first Test Cook, Stoneman, Westley, Root (captain), Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Roland-Jones, Broad, Anderson, Woakes, Crane
Fixtures
1st Test Aug 17-21, Edgbaston
2nd Test Aug 25-29, Headingley
3rd Test Sep 7-11, Lord's
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
More on Quran memorisation:
More on Quran memorisation:
More on animal trafficking
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
