Lions of Crimea Headed for Turkey

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Millyet Newspaper, 4 February 2017)


One hopes Zubkov isn't really standing right next to them.

Businessman and lion tamer Oleg Zubkov was one of the biggest
supporters of Russia's 2014 occupation of Crimea but now he has
his regrets.  Zubkov is the owner of a zoo in Yalta called 'Skaza'
(fairy tale), which has 1,500 exotic animals, and the Taygan Safari
Park in Belogorsk, which has more than 50 lions.

Because of the problems Zubkov has been experiencing with the
new Russian administration in Crimea, he has decided to move all
his businesses to Turkey.  The Ukranian businessman has set up a
company called 'Taygan Group' in Istanbul and applied for Turkish
citizenship.  He stated that Turkish authorities have allocated a
200 hectares (200 x 10,000 square meters) area 26 kilometers from
Istanbul where he can set up his zoo.


          Vlad says: "Welcome to my world."


Zubkov said that he wants to move into the international realm,
adding that "I'm applying for Turkish citizenship and I'm not
hiding this.  Because from Turkey I'll go to Europe and get animals.
But as long as the economic situation allows, I'll continue to run
Skazka and Taygan Park (in Crimea)."

According to Zubkov, Russian laws leave him no choice but to take
his animals abroad: "at the end of this process, I'll put the lions, tigers
and other animals on a ship to Turkey.  If the Russian authorities don't
allow this, it will be a tragedy for Russia and Crimea, not for me. I'll
just go to Europe and get a new lion team."


                     Crimea (circled)

Sena the Anti-Trump: Goat Savior, Not Hunter

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 3 February 2017)

trump see previous TNT reporting on Don Trump Jr.'s goat 
hunting exploits in Turkey.




Rescue convoy heads back home through the snow.

In Yağcılar village of İkizdere district, Rize province, 11 year-old
Hamdu Sena Bilgin came home from school and took the family's
goats out of their shelter for some exercise.  However, a short way
away from her house one of the goats gave birth.

Sena quickly ran home and grabbed her school bags. She came back
and put the mother goat in her shoulder backpack and the newborn
kid in another bag, tied to the back of the family's shepherd dog
Tomi.  The convoy then began to trek toward the house through the
deep snow.


     Hamdu Sena Bilgin and her goats navigate the snow.

Sena's brother Ali Rahman took pictures of the event and the photos
created a sensation on social media.  Sena explained that "as a family
we deal with animals.  My father Atilla Bilgin is working in Gebze
(near Istanbul) right now.  When the goat gave birth I wanted to bring
her right to the shelter and I thought of my school bags."



Rize province. İkizdere district is in the southwest.

Photoshop Grade Inflation Ultimately Deflates

türlçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 2 February 2017)


She also got a new bike from her parents. Has to give it back :(


In Ankara, Ayşe S., born in 1987, falsified documents a year ago
to get herself hired.  By 'photoshopping' her documents Ayşe S.
increased her YDS score from 51 to 93 and her KPSS score from
70 to 97.8, enabling her to get a job as a deputy expert (!) at the
Ministry of Health.

With her 97.8 score on the "Turkey Medicine and Medical
Equipment Assistant Inspector" test, Ayşe hanım was at the head
of the list of candidates.  She had graduated from a private university,
majoring in health institution management, and began working at
the Health Ministry in September 2015.

However, a tip to the Ministry revealed that Ayşe hanım had
falsified her test scores.  As the result of the subsequent investigation,
Ayşe hanım was let go in September 2016 but the public prosecutor
then opened a criminal inquiry.  Her scores were requested from
ÖSYM (Turkey's testing authority) and the truth came out.

After being taken into custody, Ayşe hanım at first denied the charges.
Following questioning by Judge Sezer Söylemez, though, she admitted
her guilt.  In her statement, Ayşe hanım explained that "when I applied
for the job I provided my 2014 KPSS and 2013 YDS scores after I'd
changed them on my computer in the PDF format.  I went to an
internet café in Kızılay (Ankara) and printed them in color.  Then I went
to the interview and got the job. Someone, I don't know who, turned me
in though.  I'm sorry and I'll do whatever's necessary to remedy the
situation but I don't want to go to jail."


                   Ankara province

Migration Was Never So Comfy!

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 1 February 2017)

falcons see recent TNT reporting on Qatari falconeers in Pakistan.


In-flight movie? Hitchcock's 'The Birds', of course.

A Saudi prince of the royal Saudi family, famous for their extravagances,
has hired a plane to take his 80 falcons to Pakistan.  The plane, said to be
operated by a Turkish firm, took the falcons from Tabuk in Saudi Arabia
to Karachi, Pakistan, for the prince's hunting party.

Besides the birds, there were 100 of the prince's aids on the flight.  The
prince himself, though, flew on another airplane. The falcons, which wore
masks during the trip, were perched on the seats in economy class, at a
cost of between 115 and 650 USD  per seat.