Turkish government wants to propose euthanasia as a solution to the problem of the proliferation of stray dogs, an issue of growing public concern due to several attacks by stray dogs, which have made headlines in the Turkish media.
Turkish media report that, at the request of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, his AKP party – which has a majority in parliament – plans to issue an amendment to the new Animal Abuse Law in the coming days to include euthanasia as a measure to reduce the stray dog population, arguing that their high numbers currently pose a threat to people’s lives.
The AKP argues in favour of this amendment that the current sterilisation schemes for stray animals in the law are insufficient to control the growing population of dogs on the streets of Turkey’s cities, and have failed to address public concerns. Erdoğan’s party argues that sterilisation is costly, which, combined with a lack of space in public and private animal shelters, is an obstacle to eradicate the problem.
The Turkish press reports that under the AKP’s proposed law reform, stray dogs caught would be photographed and their images published on an official website as candidates for adoption. After a 30-day waiting period, if they are not adopted, they would be euthanised by lethal injection. The process would continue with the rest of the dogs until the dog population on the streets is eliminated. The AKP claims that its amendment is based on practices already in place in other European countries such as the UK, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
Without euthanasia, it will take a decade to reduce the stray dog population
Turkish media report that the announcement comes after Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, at a recent meeting of his cabinet of ministers, expressed anger that the problem of the proliferation of stray dogs had still not been addressed, especially after several attacks in which children have been injured. “This has gotten out of hand. What are we waiting for? Solve it as soon as possible,” Erdoğan reportedly said.
Animal rights groups argue that euthanasia is inhumane and that the government should improve sterilisation programmes and awareness campaigns against animal abandonment. The ruling party, however, responds that sterilisation alone would take years – some experts say more than a decade – to reduce the current stray dog population in Turkey, and points out that sterilising dogs will not end the problem of aggression and attacks by these animals. Party sources insist that euthanasia is necessary to put an end to dog attacks before the issue becomes a “public health problem“.
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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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