Proposed amendments in an animal welfare law pit animal rights activists against those advocating tighter measures against aggressive stray dogs as lawmakers reword it to remove reference to "euthanasia."
Dogs, a beloved staple of Turkish daily life since the Ottoman times, are at the heart of a nationwide debate that made its way to Parliament this month. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) tabled a string of amendments to animal protection laws to tackle the stray dog issue. Proponents of the bill seek concrete solutions to the problem of rising feral dog attacks against humans, while its critics, led by animal rights activists and the main opposition, claim it will pave the way for mass culling of dogs.
“Euthanasia,” as it is cited in the draft bill, is a last resort, lawmakers say. The amendments call for the option to be implemented only if an animal suffers from an incurable, infectious disease and has an aggressive nature, posing a threat to people.
The bill contains 17 amendments to a law adopted in 2021 in a landmark move to improve the lives of stray animals and increase sentences for crimes committed against them. Seven amendments have been approved by a subcommittee of Parliament as of Monday, and discussions are underway for the rest before Parliament is expected to go into a recess in August. The bill will later be presented to the assembly for approval. The president will have the final say on the amendments as they require his signature to be implemented.
On Monday, AK Party lawmakers retracted the term euthanasia from the bill after a heated debate with the opposition deputies. Instead of “euthanasia,” the bill will say that “Provisions specified in Article 9 Clause 3 of the Veterinary Services Law shall be implemented,” the AK Party sources said.
The aforementioned provisions state that it is prohibited to euthanize animals, but it could be implemented in case of incurable diseases, the prevention or eradication of infectious diseases that pose a risk to human health, or in cases in which the animals’ actions endanger the lives of humans and other animals, upon the decision of the veterinarian. Euthanasia should be employed by a veterinarian or under the watch of a veterinarian, according to the provisions.
The motion also proposed changes in the fourth article of the proposal. According to the changes, animals taken by animal welfare services will be registered under the ministry database and will be kept in animal shelters until they are adopted.
The opposition fiercely advocates the removal of the proposal and appears to have gained the favor of several animal rights groups.
Local administrations will be in charge of the practice under the proposal and municipal officials will be sentenced to prison if they fail to comply. The bill also proposes increasing fines for pet owners who abandon them.
The population of stray dogs in Türkiye is estimated to be 4 million, and 2.5 million dogs have been neutered in the past 20 years by municipalities, according to the draft bill. Under current legislation, municipalities have to neuter and vaccinate all street dogs and leave them where they were found following treatment. There are currently 322 animal shelters with a capacity to host 105,000 dogs, according to the bill. The draft bill also requires all municipalities to spend at least 0.3% of their annual budget on animal rehabilitation services and building shelters.
Municipalities will be given time until 2028 to build new shelters and improve current shelters, the bill says.
Several animal rights groups have been staging protests for weeks since the bill was proposed and more protests are expected this week. On Monday, some activists were seen in the halls of Parliament, staging demonstrations.
Demonstrations also spread to some other cities while the proponents of the bill are concerned over threatening rhetoric by some activists and politicians. A local official from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has even threatened “an uprising” against the government if the bill is passed, while a TV presenter echoed this sentiment in an online post. Ayşen Değirmen, head of an animal rights association, even threatened “a civil war” and claimed those behind the bill would be “tried like putschists.” Nimet Özdemir, a lawmaker from the opposition Good Party (IP), is also criticized for her remarks claiming that “children and women would be next” after dogs.
The AK Party defends the necessity of the bill amid a growing number of incidents involving stray dogs. Party lawmakers carried the photos of victims of feral dog attacks in the first session of the debate at the parliamentary subcommittee. A report released by the Safe Streets and Defense of the Right to Life Association, an organization campaigning for the removal of all stray dogs from the streets, says that 65 people have died in street dog attacks since 2022. The government promised to tackle the issue earlier this year when a child was severely injured after being attacked by dogs in the capital, Ankara. Britain has recently issued a stray dog warning for travelers to Türkiye, stating that they often form packs and can be aggressive. It has advised visitors to be cautious and avoid approaching them.
