Mehmet Masum Süer, an international photographer, has photographed Diyarbakır’s long-eared hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus) which are on the brink of extinction.

Süer photographed the long-eared hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus) alongside red foxes, hawks, snakes and various species of butterfly in Hevsel Gardens, which is placed in UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list. Hevsel Gardens is located in Diyarbakır (Amed), a city in Turkey.

The hedgehogs live in an area that stretches from the city of Hatay to the Ceylanpınar district of Şanlıurfa (Riha) in Diyarbakır (Amed). They are native to Central Asian countries and some countries of the Middle East.

These hedgehogs were previously photographed in 2017, thanks to cameras that had been installed by the Association of Nature Conservation’s (TTKD) Hatay branch to monitor mountain gazelles.

Süer, who hails from Diyarbakir and was recently awarded the ‘Grand Master’ title by a photography club in India, expressed his joy at seeing the wildlife of the region: “I am so glad to take photos of these cute animals and also to see these rare animals in our region. I consider my work to be educational, increasing the consciousness of people to protect nature and wildlife”.

“It seems that people do not harm animals as much as they used to. In fact, many people help animals to survive by taking them for treatment to relevant places when needed. We have been hearing such stories almost every day for the past few years. This is so satisfying to hear”.

Suer is a documentary photographer and freelance journalist living in Diyarbakir.
He began his career as a journalist in 1974, then worked for different agencies and newspapers nationally as a reporter, photo-journalist, writer and redactor.

After 1993, he began to focus more on issues of history, culture and language.
Suer has been taking photos professionally since 2005. His photographs of historic sites and buildings, especially in Diyarbakir, Mardin, Van and Hasankeyf, are equally enthralling.