Fears millions of dogs could be killed after Turkey approves bill to regulate stray population

There has been a rise in the number of dogs congregating in packs, with numerous people attacked

A woman feeds a stray dog in Kadikoy neighbourhood in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, July 6 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Fears have been raised that millions of dogs could be killed or left in neglected shelters after Turkey approved a bill aimed at regulating the country’s large stray dog population.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party proposed the bill, estimates that around four million stray dogs roam Turkey’s streets and rural areas. Although many of these dogs are harmless, there has been a rise in the number of dogs congregating in packs. Numerous people have been attacked.

The move has raised concerns among animal rights advocates who fear many of the dogs would be killed or end up in neglected and overcrowded shelters.

The 17-article bill, approved late on Tuesday, has sparked a conflict between animal rights groups and advocates for safer streets free of feral dogs.

It is now set to be submitted to the full assembly for a final vote. It is unclear, however, if it will be addressed before the parliament breaks for its summer recess.

The proposed legislation mandates municipalities collect the stray dogs and house them in shelters where they would be neutered and spayed. Dogs that are in pain, terminally ill, pose a health risk to humans, or are aggressive would be euthanized.

A stray dog rests outside Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, July 3, 2024 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Municipalities would also be required to build dog shelters or improve conditions in existing shelters by 2028.

Mayors who fail to meet their responsibilities in controlling stray dogs would face imprisonment ranging from six months to two years. Additionally, fines imposed on people who abandon their pets would be raised from 2,000 lira ($60) to 60,000 lira ($1,800).

Although the legislation was amended during the proceedings to limit the conditions under which the dogs would be euthanized, animal rights activists worry that some municipalities might opt to kill the dogs on the pretext that they are ill, rather than allocate resources to shelter them.

The main opposition party, which won key municipalities in local elections in March, maintains that the bill will be used by Erdogan's government to target opposition mayors. The party also says the legislation does not make provisions to fund the shelters.

Turkey Stray Dogs (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Murat Pinar, who heads an association that has campaigned for measures to keep the streets safe from stray dogs, says at least 75 people, including 44 children, were killed as a result of attacks or by traffic accidents caused by dogs since 2022 — the year his nine-year-old daughter, Mahra, was run over by a truck after she fled from two aggressive dogs.

Pinar's “Safe Streets and Defense of the Right to Life Association” calls for the removal of all strays from the streets and wants the legislation to pass before the summer recess.

Parliament’s agriculture and rural affairs commission conducted three days of tense meetings, during which some NGO representatives were prevented from observing the proceedings. On the first day of the debate last week, Mahra’s mother brandished her daughter's shoe, alleging that opposition lawmakers prioritize the lives of dogs over those of children.

Activists meanwhile, gathered in parks demanding that the legislation they called the “massacre law” be withdrawn.

Existing regulations require stray dogs to be caught, neutered and spayed, and returned to the spot where they were found. But a failure to implement those rules over the past years has caused the dog population to explode, animal rights groups say. They argue that proper implementation of the existing regulations would be sufficient to control the population.