A woman pets a dog during a rally to protest against a bill drafted by the government in Ankara, Turkey, July 28, 2024. The bill aims to remove stray dogs from the country’s streets. Photo Credit: Reuters
Turkey’s parliament approved a proposal on July 29 to kill some of the country’s four million stray dogs. Opponents say the move could lead to mass animal slaughter.
The controversial paragraph, which is part of a draft law on the fate of animals, states that animals that are sick or aggressive should be killed.
The remaining part of the bill is being debated today and is expected to be passed in the next few days.
The government says the euthanasia provision is necessary to prevent dog attacks and the spread of rabies.
It says other homeless dogs should be mass-captured and placed in animal shelters and put up for adoption.
Critics say relying on animal sanctuaries and adoption is ultimately unviable because the number of animals is too high.
Animal rights activists fear the draft law is an attempt to cover up the large-scale killing of animals despite the government’s denials, so they are advocating mass sterilisation drives instead.
MPs began scrutiny of the 17-clause bill on Sunday, with those opposing the measure wearing white gloves stained with fake blood to protest.
The emotional debate has revived memories of a 1910 tragedy, when Ottoman authorities rounded up some 60,000 stray dogs in Istanbul and shipped them to a deserted rock in the Sea of Marmara.
Having nothing to eat, the dogs tore each other to pieces.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ahead of the debate that Turkey faces a problem that “no other civilised country faces” and which is “growing rapidly”.
The president, whose conservative AKP party and its allies have an absolute majority in parliament, said on Wednesday that people want “safe streets.”
The opposition Republican People’s Party, which controls Istanbul and other major cities, has said its mayors will not enforce the law if it passes.
There have also been protests inside Parliament in recent weeks.
The euthanasia clause passed Monday states that dogs will be killed if they “pose a threat to the life or health of people or animals, display uncontrollable negative behavior, have an infectious or incurable disease, or are prohibited from adoption.”
The government has said that mayors who refuse to obey this law can be sent to jail.
Entry of visitors to Parliament has been banned to avoid further protests.