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TURKEY RENAMES 'DIVISIVE' ANIMALS
Last Updated: Tuesday, 8 March, 2005, 10:41 GMT
Even animal names can become contentious in politics Turkey has said
it is changing the names of three animals found on its territory to
remove references to Kurdistan or Armenia.
The environment ministry says the Latin names of the red fox, the
wild sheep and the roe deer will be altered.
The red fox for instance, known as Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica, will
now be known as Vulpes Vulpes.
Turkey has uneasy relations with neighbouring Armenia and opposes
Kurdish separatists in Turkey.
The ministry said the old names were contrary to Turkish unity.
"Unfortunately there are many other species in Turkey which were named
this way with ill intentions. This ill intent is so obvious that even
species only found in our country were given names against Turkey's
unity," a ministry statement quoted by Reuters news agency said.
Some Turkish officials say the names are being used to argue that
Armenians or Kurds had lived in the areas where the animals were found.
NAME CHANGES Red fox known as Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica becomes
Vulpes Vulpes Wild sheep called Ovis Armeniana becomes Ovis Orientalis
Anatolicus Roe deer known as Capreolus Capreolus Armenus becomes
Capreolus Cuprelus Capreolus
Turkey has tense ties with its eastern neighbour Armenia, which it
does not officially recognise.
Armenians accuse Turkey of genocide, saying 1.5 million of their people
died or were deported from their homelands under Turkish Ottoman rule.
Turkey denies the genocide and says the death count is inflated.
For the last two decades, Turkey has also been fighting Kurdish
separatists, who have sought an independent state in Turkey's
south-east.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4328285.stm
Last Updated: Tuesday, 8 March, 2005, 10:41 GMT
Even animal names can become contentious in politics Turkey has said
it is changing the names of three animals found on its territory to
remove references to Kurdistan or Armenia.
The environment ministry says the Latin names of the red fox, the
wild sheep and the roe deer will be altered.
The red fox for instance, known as Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica, will
now be known as Vulpes Vulpes.
Turkey has uneasy relations with neighbouring Armenia and opposes
Kurdish separatists in Turkey.
The ministry said the old names were contrary to Turkish unity.
"Unfortunately there are many other species in Turkey which were named
this way with ill intentions. This ill intent is so obvious that even
species only found in our country were given names against Turkey's
unity," a ministry statement quoted by Reuters news agency said.
Some Turkish officials say the names are being used to argue that
Armenians or Kurds had lived in the areas where the animals were found.
NAME CHANGES Red fox known as Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica becomes
Vulpes Vulpes Wild sheep called Ovis Armeniana becomes Ovis Orientalis
Anatolicus Roe deer known as Capreolus Capreolus Armenus becomes
Capreolus Cuprelus Capreolus
Turkey has tense ties with its eastern neighbour Armenia, which it
does not officially recognise.
Armenians accuse Turkey of genocide, saying 1.5 million of their people
died or were deported from their homelands under Turkish Ottoman rule.
Turkey denies the genocide and says the death count is inflated.
For the last two decades, Turkey has also been fighting Kurdish
separatists, who have sought an independent state in Turkey's
south-east.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4328285.stm