Ranch owners say wolves attacked racehorses in Istanbul

Hungry wolves have attacked racehorses, killing at least one and injuring another, according to ranch owners in Istanbul's Silivri district, Doğan News Agency reported on Aug. 20.

The incidents occurred in the Büyükçavuşlu and Beyciler neighborhoods on the outskirts of the Istranca Forests. 

An employee working at a racehorse ranch in Büyükçavuşlu said they were on watch day and night after one of their horses was injured during an attack, in what they believe was done by wolves in the area.  

"The incident occurred two days ago. We are at unease because first wolves attacked the farm next to us, where they killed one pony. Then they attacked one of our ponies, injuring it on the rear leg. The horse ranches in the area are unsettled. The issue here is one of the animals was devoured [by the wolves] and the other was injured in the leg. Only a wolf can do this," İsmail İsmail said. 

Zeynel Karaman, a 38-year-old who has been working for almost a decade in one of the ranches, said they woke up to their caged dog barking on the day of the attack, and later released the dog, only to find it injured, presumably by a wolf, the next morning.

He also said that before the attacks, ranch owners used to keep their horses outside stables but it was not the case anymore. "At dusk, I quickly let the horses in. There are also goats and sheep here, I take them all inside," he said. 

But Beyciler's neighborhood chief, Yaşar Köse, said "wolves are a part of the nature." 

"Without the existence of wolves, pigs will reproduce. And pigs damage sunflower farms. There is such a dynamic. Our citizens will be on watch for their properties and protect them," Köse said.