Turkish parliament approves long-awaited animal rights bill
A dog stands in the sea in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, June 7, 2020. (Getty Images)


The Turkish parliament approved a long-awaited animal rights bill on Friday.

According to the bill, the sale of cats and dogs by pet shops will be banned, as such shops are "not suitable for animal health and ethology."

Animal circuses, water circuses and dolphin parks will also be prohibited.

Cat and dog owners will be required to have digital IDs or registration and will face fines if they abandon their pets.

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Thursday submitted the long-awaited bill on animal rights to the Parliament's Speaker Office.

Under the bill, "animals will no longer be seen as products, but as living creatures," Mahir Ünal, the party's deputy parliamentary group chair, told reporters in parliament.

Parliament passed the bill before its summer recess, which will begin next week.