The issue of stray or abandoned dogs in Turkey has resurfaced, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressing concern over the problem last Wednesday. This follows the circulation of videos filmed last winter showing passersby becoming victims of these dogs in Istanbul, Ankara, and other provinces. However, animal rights organizations hold a differing opinion, attributing the problem entirely to the government.
The number of stray dogs is estimated to be around 4 million, but government officials, including the Minister of Agriculture, mentioned about two years ago that the number of stray dogs is estimated to be around 10 million, indicating a situation requiring urgent government solutions, especially with the increase in rabies cases classified as "high risk" by the World Health Organization. There have also been traffic accidents involving dogs (3,544 traffic incidents in Turkey over the past five years), along with "55 deaths" and over five thousand injuries, according to the Turkish minister.
Turkish volunteer Maher Kaya, known among animal rights advocacy groups, pointed to the current Turkish government formed by the "Justice and Development" Party and the far-right "Nationalist Movement" Party as responsible for this issue. Kaya stated, "Unable to address the damages caused by the economic crisis to children, especially females, as well as to women, the elderly, retirees, and workers, the government prefers to view stray dogs as a problem with a fabricated agenda. However, in reality, in 2004, the government was supposed to open about 1,500 centers for vaccinating and neutering these dogs, but it did not."
He added, "By not opening these centers, municipalities and the government have created negative conditions for this issue and for animal lovers and have adopted a stance that blames the animals and their supporters. They continue to do so by blaming us."
Kaya continued: "If the Turkish government had spent money on stray animals rather than on indecisive wars in the region, stray dogs would not be a problem. There is a peace problem in Turkey. The current government ruling the Republic of Turkey has a wrong and hostile attitude towards education, women, the environment, and agriculture. As people who value nature, animals, and life, we oppose these policies and will continue to do so."
So far, the Turkish government has not taken any new decisions regarding stray or abandoned dogs, but this issue has become a subject of debate in Turkish circles after associations seeking "dog-free streets" managed to persuade the government to draft a bill allowing for the control of the spread of stray dogs throughout Turkey, prompting many remarks.
The bill proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party stipulates that large numbers of dogs must be captured, neutered, implanted with microchips under their skin, and euthanized within 30 days if they are not adopted.
