TURKISH DAILY NEWS (Ankara, Turkey) 12 September 07 German scientist establishes farm in Foça to become Turkey's first turtle exporter (Sinan Doðan)
Ýzmir: Having completed his PhD degree on reptiles, German zoologist Michael Reimann exports pet turtles that he breeds on his farm in Foça, Ýzmir to Europe. Owning the only turtle farm in Turkey, the German scientist exports an average of 5,000 turtles a year, each of which cost 20 euros. The enterprise brings in a total of 100,000 euros to Turkey each year.
Reimann believes love for animals is established at an early age. He was born in Bad Kreuznach near Frankfurt. “As a kid, I collected interesting animals instead of playing football,” he said. He studied biology and zoology in the Johannes Gutenber University near the city of Mainz. Then he started conducting research on reptiles and visited several parts of the world for this purpose. “My family were one the biggest financial supporters of my research. But when the costs of my research got too big, I established a farm in Germany and started breeding turtles,” he said.
Reimann first came to Turkey 20 years ago to study different types of turtles. He bought 10,000 square meters of land in Foça 10 years ago and started controlled turtle breeding in 2003. He said: “Turkey's fauna is rich in terms of turtle species and its climate is favorable. There is only one water-turtle species in northern Europe, whereas there are two land-turtle and five water-turtle species here.” At first he collected a number of animals from the wild with special permission from the agriculture ministry. He then went on to breed turtles. “This way we did not upset the natural balance,” he said. “What I did was a novelty in Turkey because here there is no habit of feeding reptiles at homes. But in Europe and the United Sates, millions of people feed scorpions, spiders, mice, and snakes. This is why at first everyone asked what these animals were good for. Contrary to general belief, these animals are not eaten except for in China. It is against the law to eat turtles in Europe. The animals I export are to be fed as pets.”
Reimann has approximately 7,000 turtles at the farm in Foça, of which 4,500 are infants. He said: “With my Turtle Breeding and Research Trade Incorporated Company, I export to European countries such as Spain, France, and primarily Germany and England.” He explained that for a small turtle, the price is between 15-20 euros and that the price rises as high as 30 euros, depending on the size of the animal. “My exports reached 100,000 euros this year. I will increase my export volume, as my farm gets bigger. Because the origin is written on the trade documents, the clients know that the turtle they buy comes from Turkey. Some of my bigger clients come to Turkey and visit the farm. The exports also help the presentation of Turkey abroad,” he said.
Each turtle lays between six and 10 eggs. The egg laying process starts in April and goes on until June, with an incubation period of 60 to 90 days. The animals become big enough for export within a month of being hatched.
Reimann needs new animals from the wild for breeding purposes in order to enlarge the farm. He has applied to the Agriculture Ministry for this purpose. He said: “If I can obtain the necessary permissions, I can enlarge the farm to four or five times its current size and breed more than 20,000 turtles a year. This is why I also bring in adult turtles from my farm in Germany. I will also import from Morocco, Egypt, and Syria. Species that are unconsciously picked up from the wild are becoming extinct in those countries also. I will preserve them too, with controlled breeding.”
Reimann believes he can breed new species of animals when the farm becomes bigger. He said: “For a while, I collected tarantulas and scorpions. I had 500 snakes. But I left them at a zoo because I could not spare time for them. I plan to breed pet iguanas and snakes in Foça in the future.”
Do not let the Euphrates turtle become extinct:
Reimann carries on with his research on Turkey's turtles. He said that the dams being built in eastern Anatolia disturb the region's eco-system, endangering some of the species. “Among these are the Euphrates turtles. Turkey should be quick about this. This species should not become extinct,” he said.
German scientist establishes farm in Foça to become Turkey's first turtle exporter

[ Show Entire Thread ]