A 12-year-old girl died during the weekend in a new tragedy related to stray dog attacks in Turkey, whose growing population is a cause for deep concern among many Turks, despite the recent withdrawal of a proposal to euthanise the animals.
Turkish media reported that the horrific incident occurred at midday on Saturday in the southeastern Turkish province of Hakkari, when Eslem Teker, a 12-year-old 7th grader who was on holiday after collecting her term grades the previous day, was on her way from her home in the Yüksekova district to pick up a book from the local library across an open field, when she was attacked by a pack of stray dogs.
Several people in the vicinity who observed the incident quickly came to her aid, chasing the dogs away and calling an ambulance, but the girl had already suffered serious injuries. After being taken to the Yüksekova public hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit, the girl eventually died despite all the doctors’ efforts to save her life. On hearing the news of her death, her relatives – who were waiting at the hospital – suffered a nervous breakdown overwhelmed by grief.
Following the attack, local authorities organised a search of the area with the help of veterinary technicians from the Yüksekova Municipality and the Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry to locate the dogs; more than 20 dogs were captured and taken to an animal shelter in the village of Suüstü. Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya expressed his condolences for the ‘indescribable loss of Eslem’ and announced that a chief inspector had been assigned to the case and an official investigation has been launched into the events.
Outrage among the victim’s neighbours
Several local residents nevertheless expressed outrage at the events, stressing that action should have been taken much earlier against the stray dogs that roam the area. ‘It won’t do much good (that they have been caught) after a life has been lost. Eslem’s death has affected us and our children psychologically,’ said Mehmet Ayhan, a neighbourhood resident.
‘After the tragedy, I have not opened my shop today. Our children can’t go out on the street alone for fear of stray dogs, we have to accompany them. Why are these dogs roaming freely, even though the municipality has a shelter for animals? Precautions should have been taken,’ he lamented.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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