A committee of the Turkish parliament approved a bill last night that aims to regulate the country's large population of stray dogs, reported the Associated Press. However, animal rights activists fear that many of the dogs will be killed or end up in neglected and overcrowded shelters, the agency said.
The bill has sparked conflict between animal rights groups and advocates for safe, feral dog-free streets. The bill is now to be submitted for a final vote in parliament. However, it is not clear whether this will happen before the parliament goes on summer vacation, AP points out.
According to Turkey's ruling party, which proposed the bill, there are about four million stray dogs roaming the streets and rural areas of the country. Although most of them are harmless, there has been an increase in the number of dogs that gather in packs, and recently attacks on people have also been reported.
The proposed legislation obliges municipalities to collect stray dogs and place them in shelters, where they can be neutered and dewormed. Sick dogs and those that pose a health risk to humans or are aggressive will be euthanized. Municipalities will also be obliged to build dog shelters or improve conditions in existing shelters by 2028.
Mayors who do not carry out their duty to control stray dogs will be sentenced to imprisonment from six months to two years. In addition, the fines imposed on people who abandon their pets will be increased from 2,000 pounds ($60) to 60,000 pounds ($1,800).
Animal rights defenders fear that some municipalities may prefer to kill the dogs under the pretext that they are sick, rather than allocate funds to shelter them.
The main opposition party, which won key municipalities in local elections in March, said the bill would be used by Erdogan's government to persecute opposition mayors. The party also claims that there are no provisions in the legislation to fund the shelters.
Murat Panar, head of an association campaigning to make streets safe from stray dogs, says at least 75 people, including 44 children, have died as a result of attacks or road accidents caused by dogs since 2022 since then. In 2022, his nine-year-old daughter Mahra was run over by a truck while running from two aggressive dogs. During debates on the bill in the parliamentary committee, Mahra's mother waved her shoe and accused opposition MPs of prioritizing the lives of dogs over those of children.
Activists gathered in parks to demand that the legislation be withdrawn, calling it a “slaughter law”.
Current regulations require stray dogs to be captured, neutered and dewormed and returned to the place where they were found. According to animal rights groups, however, non-enforcement of these rules in recent years has led to a sharp increase in the dog population. They argue that proper enforcement of existing regulations would be sufficient to control the population.