The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is considering to amend the Animal Rights Law to allow euthanasia for stray dogs. The amendment is expected to arrive at the parliament for a vote soon after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan demanded urgency from the party.
As if the massacre images and brutality we have seen on social media were not enough, now the government is after “legally killing” stray animals. Ever since it started to be discussed behind the scenes that AKP was planning to change the “Animal Protection Law,” everyone with a bit of conscience has their hearts in their mouths.
AKP sources highlighted that current methods like rehabilitation, sterilization, and shelters had not yielded results, noting the continued rise in street dog populations and the growing public health risks.
Moreover, the information received indicates that some association officials, who have long been trying to influence public opinion regarding the death warrant for animals, were among those interviewed.
The so-called “law to protect animals” has essentially turned into the “law to kill animals”. Attempts are made to soften the harsh reality with words like “putting to sleep”, but we have seen the true meaning behind these innocent-sounding words many times.
AKP officials stated that under the new regulation, municipalities would be required to photograph dogs in their shelters and post the images on a website for adoption. If a dog is not adopted within 30 days, it will be euthanized by lethal injection.
“Public opinion is divided into two camps due to the negative propaganda that has been circulating for the past two years. Protecting and loving animals has almost been portrayed as being against people, especially children. It has become a highly debated topic, with people arguing whether you should prioritize children or dogs. However, it’s important to remember that human rights cannot exist without animal rights and human life is intertwined with animal life.”
They have been trying to put the blame on animals for those who have not fulfilled their obligations under the law for 20 years, that is, those who have not neutered, fed, cared for and rehabilitated animals, thrown them to other districts, forests, garbage dumps and caused the population to increase.
On June 2, animal rights rallies will be held in Ankara at Tandoğan Square (14:00), in Istanbul at Yenikapı (13:00), and in İzmir at Gündoğdu Square. The rallies will feature calls such as “If You Keep Silent, I Will Die, Don’t Be Silent!” and “Street Animals Are Not Stray Animals”. In a statement, the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association clearly stated its stance, saying, “Laws do not kill, they make people live. We will abide by our professional oath and make people live.”
We asked animal rights workers, activists, lawyers, NGO representatives, veterinarians and animal lovers about this law change, which is said to be in the hands of AKP Group Deputy Chairman Bahadır Yenişehirloğlu and is expected to be sent to the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
The objective is to eliminate and dispose of dogs
Alper Karmış, PADER Chairman of the Board / Local Animal Protection Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, said he has been in the community since 2015 and he has been to more than 100 shelters, more than 100 cities and towns, and witnessed incredible images. ‘‘I even caused many officials and veterinarians to resign, be suspended from duty, and close the shelter.’’
Instead of this change, a sterilization campaign should be initiated. In parallel, all production and sales should be stopped, said Karmış, noting that aggressive animals on the streets should be rehabilitated in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and animal enthusiasts.
Karmış also mentioned that the term “anesthetizing” is used to avoid public outcry. The objective is to eliminate and dispose of dogs. The state of municipal shelters is evident; those who do not intervene are essentially saying to gather the animals. If the law leads to the gathering and adoption of animals for 30 days, and their euthanasia if not adopted, this will also attract attention in the international press. Individuals proposing this idea to state officials are being opportunistic. They see it as an opportunity because they are aware that 99 percent of people in Turkey are unlikely to adopt a stray dog, and that there is a preference for purebred animals in Turkey. We hope that our state officials will not fall for this.
Rise in public hate speech
Neşe Özkanoğlu, Lawyer and Vice President of Ankara Bar Association Animal Rights Center said nobody saw the proposal text. ‘‘We are aware of what is on the news. The issue at hand is that all stray animals will be taken to shelters, as long as the shelters have space. If the animals are not adopted within 30 days, they will be euthanized. Unfortunately, not every district municipality in Türkiye has a shelter, leading to a rise in the stray animal population due to lack of neutering. If effective sterilization measures had been in place for the past 20 years, the situation would not have escalated to this extent.’’
Özkanoğlu also pointed out that over the past two years, there has been a notable rise in public hate speech targeting the capturing and euthanizing of stray animals. The Safe Streets Association has also been subjected to similar labeling, raising concerns about a possible mass killing. It is unacceptable for an animal’s right to life to be determined by humans and for them to be condemned to death as if they were objects.
Nobody fulfills their duty, and then they decide to kill them
Gülay Ertürk, Chairman of the Veterinary Medical Association said, the Veterinary Association is against the mass killing of animals. The problem of animal overpopulation can be addressed through a variety of factors, but one key solution is the need for neutering animals. It’s important to understand that gradual neutering process will not effectively solve this issue. In the past, efforts to address animal overpopulation involved collecting animals and either placing them in shelters or euthanizing them in large numbers. However, these methods did not effectively resolve the problem.
In the early 1990s, the World Health Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health jointly published a statement recommending that the best solution to the issue of stray animal overpopulation is to neuter 50 to 70 percent of the animals during their reproductive period, which is within six months, particularly focusing on females. It is explained that sterilizing 70 percent of stray animals during a breeding season will decrease the population. Controlling reproduction through sterilization is key to managing the population.
Ertürk also said not everyone is doing their job properly. Shelters were supposed to be built based on the population of municipalities between 2022 and the end of 2024, but this has not been done.
“Nobody fulfills their duty, and then we decide to kill them. He created the law, but did the municipalities build these nursing homes? Was anything done to those who did not? We neglect our responsibilities and burden innocent animals with the consequences.”
According to Yasemin Ovacıklıoğlu, a protector of street animals, there are alternatives to killing animals. Firstly, every municipality, regardless of its population, should start effective neutering by establishing a sterilization center in its area. Secondly, there should be an immediate stop to reproduction. Ovacıklıoğlu stated that municipalities should collaborate with volunteers and entry to shelters should be free. Additionally, deterrent penalties should be imposed on municipalities and individuals who harm animals.
Aslı Alpar, an animal activist and artist, said that between 2019 and 2021, the AKP chaired an Animal Rights Commission, on which all political parties in the Parliament agreed. This commission discussed the subject with animal rights advocates, professional veterinarians, and all circles that are interested in it.
It is clearly a massacre
Animal rights advocates camped outside the Parliament, lobbying for animal rights. Despite their efforts, a recent law update fell short of their expectations and only included a small portion of the recommendations from the Parliamentary Investigation Commission report. The advocates had hoped for constitutional protection for animal rights and a complete ban on the sale and production of animals, as outlined in the commission report. However, the updated law only managed to protect Article 6.
AKP’s proposal reportedly involves capturing stray animals, housing them in shelters for a month, and euthanizing them if they are not adopted.
“It is argued that this method is used in developed countries, but it is clearly a massacre. This practice, which is carried out in some European countries, is also criticized by animal rights advocates within those countries. Some countries are even considering ending this practice. However, we are attempting to legalize this massacre…”
