Türkiye: Turkish gravedigger forms unique bond with squirrels at Canakkale cemetery.

SHOTLIST: CANAKKALE, TÜRKİYE (AUG. 19, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF TURKISH GRAVEDIGGER BARAN ALADAG TENDING TO GRAVES 2. VARIOUS OF ALADAG POURING BREWED TEA INTO GLASSES 3. VARIOUS OF ALADAG FEEDING SQUIRRELS 4. VARIOUS OF SQUIRRELS RUNNING AROUND CEMETERY 5. BARAN ALADAG SPEAKING TO REPORTER (Turkish) 6. VARIOUS OF ALADAG FEEDING AND PLAYING WITH SQUIRRELSCANAKKALE, TÜRKİYE - AUG. 19, 2026: A gravedigger in the northwestern Turkish city of Canakkale has formed a close bond with dozens of squirrels he regularly feeds at the city cemetery, drawing the attention of visitors. Baran Aladag, 41, who has worked at Canakkale City Cemetery for four years, began feeding two squirrels he encountered there with walnuts. Their numbers later grew to around 60, he said. After several squirrels were killed by vehicles, Aladag began sharing videos of them on social media to draw attention to their presence. One of his posts received 7.5 million views, prompting people to visit the cemetery to see the animals. Aladag said he can distinguish the squirrels from one another despite their similar appearance and has given some of them names including Boncuk, Can, Yigit, Zeytin and Badem. He said he regularly feeds the squirrels with support from donors and the Canakkale mayor, while allowing them to remain in their natural habitat.