PKK attacks hike up livestock prices ahead of Eid

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'People are afraid of traveling with their animals. So, the number of livestock has naturally decreased in big cities,' breeder Yunus Coktin said, referring to the outlawed PKK's renewed armed campaign The hustle and bustle of breeders and buyers, the shouts of bargaining, the shaking of hands and, of course, the overpowering smell of countless of cows and sheep...

A major Islamic holiday is coming up and Turkey's biggest city is now home to hundreds of thousands of animals from all over the country to be bought and sold.

Beginning Sept. 24, Muslims will celebrate the four-day Eid al-Adha, also known as the 'Feast of the Sacrifice,' which celebrates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God.

It is the second of two religious holidays celebrated by Muslims and marks the last day of the Hajj for the faithful where millions of pilgrims pour into Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Apparently, Eid al-Adha is not only a holy period for the Muslims, it is also the largest opportunity for the breeders during the year to do some business - and the livestock market in Istanbul's Bayrampa?a district is again jam-packed, despite price-hike claims.

Although a number of traders deny driving up prices, most of the sellers confirm that current prices are high compared to the last year's rates.

"Livestock prices were expected to remain the same as last year but increasing terror incidents, and the rise in animal feed prices have driven up the animals' cost," Yunus Coktin, a 60-year-old breeder, tells Anadolu Agency.

Coktin, a shepherd and dealer for nearly four decades, said that they started to celebrate Eid three weeks ago.

"Eid al-Adha always starts earlier for the dealers....

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