Thousands protest in Turkey against controversial stray dog bill
Protesters are calling for a repeal of the newly-passed “stray slaughter law” which activists say has already led to a country-wide massacre of stray dogs.
Protesters at the rally, with many signs showing the popular motto "yasayi geri cek", meaning "withdraw the law". Credit: Deniz Tapkan Cengiz/We Animals
Tens of thousands of people joined a protest yesterday in Turkey’s capital city of Istanbul to call on the government to repeal its new stray dog bill.
The bill, which was approved by legislators last month, requires municipalities to round up stray dogs and send them to shelters where they would be spayed and neutered. Dogs who are sick, show aggression, or are suspected of having rabies should be killed, the bill states.
The legislation has been dubbed by critics as a “stray slaughter law”, who fear it will lead to a mass extermination of many of the country’s estimated four million stray dogs.
Graphic photos and videos have already been circulating on social media showing dogs being burned, bludgeoned, poisoned and buried alive in mass graves. The law has already led to the deaths of thousands of stray dogs, according to campaign group In Defense of Animals, who also say that it is the largest mass slaughter of homeless animals in modern history.
Crime scene investigators at a mass animal grave discovered near an animal shelter in Ankara, Turkey. 2024. Credit: Tunahan Turhan/We Animals
Protests in Turkey have been constant both ahead of the bill’s passing and after. A petition against the new legislation has reached over 100,000 signatures, while tens of thousands of people joined the demonstration in Istanbul on Saturday to call for the government to repeal the legislation.
“We want this law to be withdrawn immediately,” protester Hasan Kizilyatak, 64, told The Associated Press. “They (stray dogs) are living beings, just like us. We are here because we are against them being annihilated.”
Activists point out that the legislation is flawed, and designed only to kill - rather than help - animals, with shelters in the country not having the capacity to safely cope with a huge increase in new animals.
Thousands of protesters gathered at the rally. Credit: Deniz Tapkan Cengiz/We Animals
“There are an estimated four million homeless dogs and only 322 shelters with a total capacity of 105,000 animals”, explains Melda Ece Kelemcisoy, a Turkish academic and activist specialising in animal rights.
The conditions of the shelters are often dangerous and “horrific”, Kelemcisoy adds. She says shelters are already overcrowded, understaffed, and unsanitary, and most stray animals that get taken to shelters end up contracting diseases, suffering immense stress, or die from abuse or neglect.
Why is Turkey cracking down on the free-roaming dog population?
There are an estimated four million free-roaming dogs in Turkey and the World Health Organisation classifies it as a “high-risk” country for rabies.
The recently-passed legislation was proposed following a report by the Safe Streets and Defence of the Right to Life Association, which claimed that 65 people have died in dog attacks since 2022.
But critics of the bill blame the authorities for the surging dog population, citing a lack of enforcement of existing legislation that mandates free-roaming dogs be captured, neutered or spayed, and then returned to their original location.
Animal advocacy organizations argue that proper enforcement of the pre-existing regulations would be sufficient to control the dog population. Estimates suggest that if the 1,403 municipalities spayed and neutered just four animals per day, the problem would be resolved within one year.
Advocacy groups also point out that the new legislation completely overlooks the negative impact of dog breeders. Despite the production and trade of dogs being a major contributor to population growth, the newly-approved laws do not prohibit breeding operations.
Species Unite has signed the open letter opposing the legislation and is urging our community to please sign and share this urgent petition, organized by the Animal Save Movement in collaboration with activists in Turkey and calling on the parliament to reverse the new law. You can find additional activism resources here.
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