The question of anyone who wants to catch a scorpion found in nature, collect it or keep it in a container seems simple: “Is it illegal to catch scorpions?” The answer is written in a regulation: the Regulation on the Procedures and Principles for Catching Scorpion Species from the Wild was published in Official Gazette No. 31152 dated June 11, 2020. The provisions in this article are reported from the text on the Official Gazette publication page, compared with a copy in a legal database.
The short answer
The first paragraph of Article 6 of the regulation begins: “Catching scorpion species from the wild is prohibited.” The only exception is supplying breeding stock to facilities that have completed the permit and approval process for producing goods intended for human or animal health; even that rests on a permit that can be granted only on condition that there is no adverse effect on the population. Catching for scientific purposes is excluded from the scope of the regulation (Article 2).
What does the regulation regulate?
According to Article 1, the purpose of the regulation is to protect the habitats of scorpion species and to regulate the procedures and principles for catching them from the wild. Law No. 2872 on the Environment and Law No. 5199 on the Protection of Animals are cited as the basis. In other words, the text is aimed not at a person who encounters a scorpion but at taking scorpions from the wild and at production facilities. For the habitat types of scorpions, see our article on where scorpions live.
The main provisions of Article 6
| Subject | What does the regulation say? |
|---|---|
| Catching from the wild | Prohibited (Article 6/1); the only exception is supplying breeding stock to licensed production facilities. |
| Breeding season | Scorpions may not be caught from the wild during breeding seasons (Article 6/2). |
| Method | Methods that cause animals suffering, harm them or adversely affect their behaviour, and methods prohibited by international conventions, are forbidden (Article 6/3). |
| Escape from a facility | The facility owner takes measures to prevent escape and harm; the cost of catching escaped scorpions and the damage they cause are the facility owner's responsibility (Article 6/4). |
| Release into the wild | Scorpions in a facility may not be released into the wild without the permission of the General Directorate (Article 6/5). |
| Transport | Carried out in accordance with the Regulation on the Domestic Transport of Live Animals and Animal Products (Article 6/6). |
Under Article 5, provincial branch directorates notify the relevant provincial units of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health of the area and date of a capture at least fifteen days in advance. The permit stage of setting up a production facility is a separate subject: it was covered in our article on the establishment permit.
How does the capture permit work?
Because the regulation prohibits catching from the wild in general, applications for the exception also go through a strict process. At the permit stage, the applicant is asked for a scientific report from a university, for each species named in the application, showing that scorpions of that species can be caught from the wild; the General Directorate may also request a second report. Applications go through the provincial branch directorate, and the capture is recorded after checking that the permit conditions have been met. As written in the first article of the regulation, the aim of this structure is to protect the habitats of scorpion species.
What happens to someone who catches scorpions without a permit?
Under Article 8, if it is established that scorpions have been caught from the wild without permission, an administrative fine is imposed on those who caught them under subparagraph (k) of the first paragraph of Article 20 of Law No. 2872. For facility owners who do not take measures to prevent escape and harm, subparagraph (b) of the first paragraph of Article 28 of Law No. 5199 applies. Fine amounts are not given in this article; the Official Gazette and mevzuat.gov.tr should be used for current amounts.
What the regulation does not say
In the text we read, there are no provisions on the following: what to do about a scorpion encountered at home or in the garden, keeping a scorpion as a hobby, and killing a scorpion. This article gives no legal opinion on these subjects. To check whether the regulation has been amended since its publication and to get definite information on these subjects, one must apply to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, or to the provincial directorate. Observing scorpions in nature and photographing them are not the subject of the regulation; for measures at home, our protection article is a more suitable source.
