Flamingoes At Risk
Lake Tuz, which translates to “Salt Lake” in Turkish, is the second-largest lake in Turkey. It measures 643 square miles 91,665 square kilometers). It’s apopular tourist destination and on the list to be considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lake is also home to several plant and bird species, including providing an important breeding ground for the largest flamingo colony in the Mediterranean. (Flamingoes like to lay their eggs in salty water.)
Over the summer, the lake was the site of a mass casualty event for the flamingoes who flock to Lake Tuz. The corpses of thousands of hatchling flamingoes, known as flaminglets, were recorded in photographs and drone footage of the lake. The government estimated that 1,000 birds died due to low water levels. Environmentalists estimated that just 5,000 birds hatched, compared to more than 12,000 in 2018.
