Turkish Minister of the Interior, Mustafa Çiftçi, has announced that all stray dogs in Turkey will be collected from the streets and taken to shelters before the end of the year: a measure which – excluding cats – has been implemented nationwide following the public outcry sparked by a series of dog attacks that left numerous victims, including children.
During a meeting with representatives of animal welfare organisations, Çiftçi discussed the progress of the ongoing measures regarding stray animals, explaining that the capture rate will reach 100% within a few months, given that more than 80% of the animals roaming the streets have already been caught. “By the start of the new year, we will have taken all stray dogs to shelters”, he said in comments reported by Turkish media.
The minister provided details on the collection campaign, stating that 83% of stray animals across the country’s 81 provinces have already been collected and “transferred to shelters or natural habitats”. He noted that the collection rate has reached 100% in the 51 provinces with Special Provincial Administrations, where all animals have already been removed from the streets.
Meanwhile, work began later in the metropolitan areas, although in the country’s 30 major cities the collection of stray animals has already reached an average of 74%, whilst work continues in stages. Çiftçi specified that the collection of stray dogs has now been completed in 12 major cities: Erzurum, Mardin, Manisa, Mersin, Şanlıurfa, Kayseri, Sakarya, Denizli, Konya, Balıkesir, Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş.
The collection of stray animals has reached 99% in Ankara and 49% in Istanbul
Regarding the situation in other major metropolitan areas, the minister noted that the collection rate now stands at 99% in Ankara, 91% in Van and Malatya, 89% in Muğla, 87% in Tekirdağ, 82% in Samsun, 80% in Trabzon, 76% in Hatay, 71% in Kocaeli, 68% in Antalya, 64% in Adana, 59% in Eskişehir, 58% in Bursa, 49%in Istanbul, 47% in Aydın, 38% in Ordu, 35% in İzmir and 27% in Diyarbakır.
Turkey’s Minister of the Interior stated that the aim is to fully complete the process of rounding up stray dogs across the country before the end of the year: “Normally, we would have liked to have rounded them all up between September and October, but in some municipalities this process may be running slightly behind schedule. As the law allows this to be done until 2028, some municipalities may be taking more time. The work is progressing somewhat more slowly in metropolitan areas, but we hope to transfer them all to shelters or natural habitats before the end of the year”, he concluded.
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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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