Turkey wants to kill millions of dogs. What could be the reasons?

The Turkish government has approved a new law aimed at removing millions of stray dogs from Turkey’s streets, which has no doubt caused concern among animal rights activists. Opposition lawmakers have also questioned the new law.

According to Turkish government statistics, there are more than 4 million stray dogs in Türkiye’s rural areas and on the streets.

Humane Society International wrote to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing its concerns, saying the law would cause “unnecessary suffering and death” to millions of animals and was “only a short-term fix and would not lead to a long-term solution.”

Türkiye’s New Stray Dog Law – Explained

More than 275 votes were in favor of the bill, with 225 against, and a final vote by the full Assembly will take place in the coming days.

Under the new law, municipalities will collect stray dogs from rural areas and streets and put them in shelters to be vaccinated, sterilized and neutered. After that, they will be adopted. However, sick or distressed animals will be euthanized.

Under the new law, all municipalities must spend at least 0.3% of their annual budget on animal rehabilitation services. The money will also be used to build and upgrade shelters.

What happens if stray dogs are not controlled in a certain area? In this case, mayors who fail to fulfill their responsibilities under the law face imprisonment for more than six months to two years. People who abandon their pets will be fined 60,000 liras. The fine before the law was 2,000 liras.

Under the act, there are 322 animal shelters that can house approximately 105,000 dogs. This number of animal shelters is actually far less than the number of animal shelters required.

reaction

Opposition leaders and veterinarians worry about how the government can find enough money for cash-strapped municipalities to build additional shelters.

The decision was welcomed by many opposition leaders, and animal rights activists also strongly opposed the regulation.

However, the Justice and Development Party’s Ali Ozkaya supported the bill, calling it a “state demand”. In addition, Ibrahim Yumakli also said that the bill was an “adoption” bill, not a “massacre”.

Thousands of people have taken to Türkiye’s streets in recent weeks to protest the law.

Animal rights groups and opposition leaders argue that mass sterilization would prove a better solution. However, Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party argues it is too late to do so.

Türkiye’s Dog Problem

Turkish President Erdogan said that stray dogs in Turkey not only attack adults, children and the elderly, but also other animals, even goats and sheep. In addition, the excessive number of stray dogs in Turkey also causes traffic accidents.

It is reported that since 2022, 75 people have died in dog attacks or traffic accidents caused by dogs, 44 of whom were actually children.

Also read: List of Turkish Presidents (1923-2023)

Also read: Why is Türkiye now called ‘Turkiye’ and what is its significance?