Hundreds of baby flamingos have been found dead in Lake Tuz, the second largest lake in Turkey after Lake Van and one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world, which is also an important breeding ground for birds, especially flamingos.
Located between the provinces of Ankara, Aksaray and Konya, Lake Tuz – whose name literally means “salt lake” in Turkish – is a key breeding ground for flamingos, which arrive in tens of thousands every year. However, the drought caused by climate change and the overexploitation of water resources for intensive agriculture is causing all kinds of phenomena in the region, from the appearance of giant holes in the ground to the disappearance of many lakes.
This is not in fact the first time that dead flamingo chicks have appeared in Lake Tuz in recent years due to the drought. These birds prefer Lake Tuz because its low water level is favourable for both feeding and incubation and the development of their young; but due to the water shortage, many parts of the lake have completely dried up, leading to the death of the flamingo chicks from starvation and dehydration.
The images of the area, with flamingo chicks lying dead on the dry lake bed and stained white from being covered in salt from Lake Tuz, have moved experts, who are warning about the situation: “The water level in the region has dropped. The region urgently needs water,” Ahmet Sanlav, a member of a local environmental association, told Turkish media outlets. ‘Another reason for these flamingo deaths is seasonal; this year there was also a late frost. The birds incubated, but the chicks were unable to hatch due to the frost. But the main reason is the low water level in the region,” he said.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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