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The sun shines toward the end of the old Turkish city of Mardin as a group of green donkeys begin their work of picking up trash in the evenings before taking a break from classical music.
Under the direction of city crews, the animals carry sacks of garbage, twisted in the city’s narrow alleys, built on a rock facing the former Mesopotamian area, 40 miles (37 km) from Syria.
“We have been using it to clean up the city for centuries. They are the only ones who can get on the narrow streets, ”says Kadri Toparli, who works for the Mardin town-cleaning team.
“Without that, it would not be possible to do the job.”
With names like Gaddar (Cruel), Cefo (Tolerant) and Bozo (Pale), reflecting their personality and appearance, 40 or more donkeys “are responsible for city workers,” Toparli explains.
“They work like us, eight hours a day, and I rest after four hours in the afternoon.”
In the evening, when they are barking for a long day that includes climbing at least 150 steps, the donkeys are free to sing while the doctors take care of them in their barns.
“We take care of them. Every evening, we sing old songs or traditional songs for two hours, “says Toparli.
“We find that they are very happy when we play a piece of Beethoven,” he laughs.
In the early 1900’s, when Mardin was home to only 20,000 people, donkeys carried firewood and charcoal.
Today, the old town alone has a population of 60,000, which produces 10 tons of garbage daily.
“We have small cars that we call ‘garbage taxis’. We also use them, but they are not useful,” said Abdulkadir Tutasi, the mayor of the former town.
Efforts to end the dependence on donkeys are in line with the growing interest in animals shown in Turkey in recent years.
To avoid criticism, officials in the old town of Mardin are said to be working with animal rights groups to monitor the donkeys’ performance.
Toparli goes to great lengths to care for his donkeys carefully and respectfully.
“They are very intelligent animals. He knows their place in the heart, ”he says. “Often, we do not have to lead them back to their folds.”
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