American trophy hunter scared off by Turkish ethnic group that considers goats sacred

A stock breeder leads a flock of goat on a cold winter day after snowfall in Ovacik district of Tunceli, Turkey

Credit: Anadolu Agency /Anadolu 

An American trophy hunter’s hopes of shooting wild goats in the mountains of Turkey have been thwarted by locals who insist the animals are sacred.

The hunter was initially awarded an eight-day licence by the authorities to hunt the long-horned goats in the province of Dersim in eastern Anatolia.

But after a local outcry, the licence has been revoked and the hunter has had to cancel his trip.

The region is home to people of the Alevi faith, a branch of Shia Islam, who believe that all living things must be protected.

Alevis are the biggest religious minority in Turkey, numbering around 15 million. Around two-thirds of them are Turkish speakers while the rest are Kurds. Their faith contains elements of pre-Islamic Turkish shamanism.

They consider mountain goats to be sacred and also point out that they are endangered.

“Life in nature is priceless for us,” said Fatih Mehmet Macoglu, the mayor of Dersim. “We want the wildlife in this region to be respected. We want the protection of mountain goats.”

Baris Yildirim, a lawyer who took part in the anti-hunting protests, said legal action would be taken against the government if any further licences were issued. “We want to state that we definitely think that no wild animal, including wild goats and antlered animals, should be hunted,” he said.

It is the second time in a few months that locals have won a battle against hunting.

In July, the ministry of forestry and farming had to cancel a plan to offer licences to hunt 17 wild goats after protests from animal welfare and conservation groups.

They also protested against the hunting and poaching of other species, including bears, wolves and lynx.

The government had argued that it was legitimate to allow hunters to shoot elderly, male goats in order to manage the population.