Turkey proposes bill to get stray dogs off the street, but critics say it’s inhumane
- There are around 4 million such animals roaming the country, and 65 people have died in street dog attacks since 2022
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party submitted to parliament on Friday a controversial bill aimed at managing the country’s large stray dog population. Critics are concerned that the proposed legislation will results in dogs being confined to cramped shelters and potentially lead to the killing of many of the animals.
The bill is pitting animal rights activists against those calling for measures to make the streets safe from the feral dogs.
Erdogan has said that an estimated 4 million strays are roaming Turkey’s streets and countryside.
The legislation is a watered-down version of an initial proposal, which reportedly called for the strays to be rounded up, housed in shelters and euthanised if they are not adopted within 30 days.
That proposal, which was not submitted to parliament, had ignited a public uproar, with animal rights activists arguing it would result in the mass extermination of unadopted dogs.
Abdullah Guler, a senior legislator from the ruling party, told reporters that under the revised proposal, stray dogs would be removed from the streets and placed into shelters where they would be neutered and spayed.