A research centre in Turkey southeastern Van province is working to preserve the Van cat breed, endemic to the region and easily recognisable by heterochromia and shiny white hair.

The research centre was established in 1992 to preserve the original form of the Van cat, at a time when the number of pure breed cats was in sharp decline, said Abdullah Kaya, head of the research centre established by the Van Yuzuncu Yil University. Last year, the centre was able to produce 110 pure-bred kittens, he said.

Caretaker Mehmet Atar Bayir said initially the work to obtain pure-bred cats was more difficult because most of the cats were picked from the street, where they had mated with other cat breeds. "Because we collected cats from the streets, 60-70% of the kittens born were black and white. This genetic ratio has now dropped to 5%," he said.

Visitors are allowed in the enclosure where tens of Van cats are kept, petting them and feeding them. "Families especially come because they want to instil a love of animals in their children," Bayir said.

-Ismet Mikailogullari, Omer Berberoglu, Ali Kucukgocmen/Reuters