Ahead of World Animal Day on Tuesday, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) announced pets can now travel with their owners on the mass transportation network of Türkiye’s most populated city.

Guide dogs and dogs, cats and birds weighing less than 5 kilograms (11 pounds) will be free to ride the metro, buses and ferries throughout the day, while larger animals will be allowed to ride the mass transportation vehicles between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dogs will be allowed to travel only with a leash and muzzles, while cats will be allowed in their special cages, like birds. The municipality's decision makes mass transit travel official for animals, which used to get mixed reactions from the public in the past. Earlier this week, some social media users complained about a stray dog boarding a bus as a video emerged showing people scared of the relatively large dog. On the other hand, Boji, a dog adopted by the municipality, won hearts last year as his videos and photos showing the stray dog traveling on buses, trams and other means of mass transportation circulated online.