A parliamentary committee in Turkey approved a bill aimed at regulating the country’s large stray dog population, according to AP News.
The move raised concerns among animal rights activists who fear many dogs would be killed or end up in overcrowded shelters. The 17-article bill, approved late Tuesday night, sparked conflict between animal rights groups and advocates of safer streets free of feral dogs.
However, it is unclear whether the issue will be addressed before parliament goes on summer recess.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose ruling party proposed the bill, estimates that there are about 4 million stray dogs roaming the streets and rural areas of Turkey. While many of these dogs are harmless, there has been an increase in the number of dogs that are gathering in packs.
The proposed law obliges municipalities to collect stray dogs and place them in shelters where they will be neutered and spayed. Dogs that are in pain, terminally ill, a danger to human health, or aggressive will be euthanised.
Municipalities will also have to build dog shelters or improve conditions in existing shelters by 2028. Mayors who fail to fulfil their responsibilities to control stray dogs will face prison sentences ranging from six months to two years. In addition, fines imposed on people who abandon their pets will be increased from 2,000 lira ( $60) to 60,000 lira ($1,800).
Concerns of human rights defenders
Some municipalities may prefer to kill dogs on the pretext that they are sick rather than devote resources to sheltering them.
The main opposition party, which won key municipalities in local elections in March, says the bill will be used by the Erdoğan government to target opposition mayors. The party also says the legislation does not provide funding for shelters.
Murat Pinar, head of Safe Streets and Defence of the Right to Life Association, stated that since 2022, at least 75 people, including 44 children, had died in attacks or road accidents caused by dogs. Among the casualties was his nine-year-old daughter Mahra, who was hit by a lorry after running away from two aggressive dogs.
The Parliamentary Commission on Agriculture and Rural Affairs held three days of tense meetings, during which some NGO representatives were not allowed to observe the proceedings. Meanwhile, activists gathered in parks demanding the repeal of the law, which they call the “massacre law.”
Existing regulations require stray dogs to be captured, neutered and spayed and returned to the place where they were found. However, the failure to enforce these rules in recent years has led to a dramatic increase in the dog population, animal rights groups say. They argue that proper enforcement of existing rules would be enough to control the population.
