Russian pilot scoops water from zoo pond to douse fire, birds perished

A helicopter that scooped water from the pond of a zoo in central Anatolia to douse a nearby wildfire has caused the death of several birds.

The firefighting helicopter came from the southern province of Adana on Aug. 22 to help locals extinguish a fire spreading in the forests of Mount Ali in Kayseri province.

A Russian pilot, under the guidance of a Turkish technician, confused the pool of a Kayseri zoo with a nearby dam reservoir. Around 10 waterfowls and ducks were killed when the sack that helicopter lowered to refill it with water hit them, according to Doğan News Agency (DHA).

Zoo personnel and visitors warned the pilot, who then directed the helicopter towards the Sarımsaklı dam.

"The pilot risked our lives, too," a zoo official told DHA, stressing that the birds could hit the rotor of the helicopter, even cause it to crash.