A partridge breeding station in eastern Türkiye’s Malatya province produces thousands of red-legged partridges each year to help control ticks and harmful insects and support wildlife.

Established in 2012 on the Inönü University campus, the Chukar Partridge Breeding Station has bred more than 234,000 Chukar partridges to help combat ticks and pests across provinces, operating under the 15th Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks.

The raised partridges have been released into the wild across provinces of Türkiye, stretching from Denizli in the west and Kayseri in the central heartland to the eastern and southeastern provinces of Ağrı, Iğdır, Diyarbakır, Tunceli and Elazığ.

Partridges, also known as "Türkiye's tick-fighting army," are battling to reduce the population of ticks and harmful insects in the wild.

Selçuk Öcal, head of the 15th Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, noted that 300 of the partridges bred at the facility were released in Malatya, with the remaining birds distributed across various other provinces.

Öcal pointed out that partridges also contribute to ecological balance, saying, "The effect partridges have on ticks is rooted in their dietary habits. Driven by a high protein demand during their fledgling phase of up to three months, chukar partridges consume ants, insect larvae, spiders, grasshoppers and ticks. Ultimately, releasing these birds into nature acts as a natural, indirect control over tick populations."

"Additionally, by fighting agricultural pests, these same birds help reduce the need for chemical pesticides."

He noted that the partridges released into the wild also undergo antiparasitic treatment, adding that this practice protects the birds from being infested by lice, ticks and parasites.

Öcal, highlighting that partridges are also instrumental in bolstering wildlife, added, "These releases support the biological struggle against ticks and other harmful insects. Built in 2012 inside the Inönü University campus, our station operates on a 36-decare site (approximately 8.90 acres) with a capacity to produce 10,000 birds annually."