Turkey votes the law to kill stray animals

On July, 30 2024, the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Grand National Assembly) has approved the new law – renamed as “Massacre Law” by animal right adovcates – aimed at removing millions of stray dogs and cats from Turkey’s streets. As per amendments approved on July 24, stray animals will be collected from the streets ending up in neglected and overcrowded municipal shelters for being euthanized if they are not adopoted.

The law states that dogs who are sick, those who have diseases that can be transmitted to any other animal (paragraph concerning diseases transmitted to other animals is however not clear, as it may be any disease, even those that can be easily treated like flu), dogs belonging to prohibited breeds, such as pitbulls and dogo argentinos, and dogs considered dangerous to human or environmental health will be euthanised immediately.

The government estimates that around 4 million stray dogs roam in Turkey. However, since there are not enough places in the shelters — there are currently 322 animal shelters (only 298 out of 1,403 municipalities) with a capacity for 105,000 dogs, according to the bill — it is very luckily that stray animals will be killed.

Municipalities will be given time until 2028 to build new shelters and improve current facilities, spending at least 0.3% of their annual budget on animal rehabilitation services and building shelters – the law says – but we all know that euthanasia and imprisonment are not the solution for handling properly dog and cat population.

“We were deeply saddened to learn about the Turkish Government’s decision to enacting a new law that would result in the “euthanasia” of thousands of stray animals within the country. Turkey will be another nation on the “black list” for implementing inhumane dog population control methods, instead of allocating resources towards ethical alternatives that are proven to benefit both animals and communities in the long run. In 2024, we possess enough means to address the problem of stray animal overpopulation without harming or killing any creatures. It’s time to change, it’s time to respect animals and respect citizens who want them to be protected!”

OIPA condemns the decision of the Turkish Parliament to pass this terrific law despite the massive international pressure to put a halt to.

In addition to the letter that OIPA sent to the Turkish Government, the protest email that we asked people to sign on the form below, the protest in Ankara that we took part in last June, we also co-signed with over 100 NGOs a letter that the Animal Save Movement submitted to the Turkish Parliament.

Following this news, the President of our member association in Ankara Bir Pati De Sen Tut declares: “We have more than 100 dogs and 50 cats in our feeding spots. Now, we are looking for options about what we can do to save them. I don’t have strength. We have a small private shelter, which is at its full capacity because we are overwhelmed of unadopted animals! We will now try to understand how many new sectors we can build, but we do not have enough resources. I am so sad, disappointed, angry. Everything is meaningless now. What about the animals we cannot reach and help? This is horrific!”

Animals in Turkey need help urgently.
Associations and animal rescuers are looking for international support to:

> Rehome street animals or animals in shelters
> Collect donations to secure animals in boarding facilities
> Find Foster families abroad  to make overseas adoptions easier
> and any other help would be much appreciated.

“Please, don’t leave our strays alone!”

27, January 2025 – OIPA sent a letter to the Constitutional Court of Türkiye urging the Court to intervene for the annulment of Law No. 5199 on the Protection of Animals and its Implementation Regulation. Read our letter (Letter to the Constitutional Court of Türkiye_OIPA_27 Janaury 2025)

It’s time to speak up and urge the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye to stop the law that would allow the killing of stray animals throughout the country.

Take action now and send your protest email 

Given the well-known poor condition of current shelters in Turkey, this law would lead to mass slaughters.  Niğde and Altındağ municipalities have already begun mass slaughter, as revealed by footage from these regions. A large mass grave has been found in the shelter grounds belonging to the Niğde Municipality, one of the municipalities claiming to be implementing the law introduced under the pretext of “aggressive dogs,” or that the dogs have died of “natural causes, car accidents, or illnesses.” The dead body of a three-legged dog, who had just given birth and was cared for and loved by volunteers in the area, was among the bodies in the shelter owned by Niğde province. As the dogs were covered in blood, veterinarians believe that they did not die of natural causes or were killed through “euthanasia” with a lethal injection as it is claimed, but that they were slaughtered in different ways.

Right after Niğde, another mass grave was found on the grounds of a shelter belonging to the Altındağ district of Ankara, the capital of Turkey. This mass grave revealed dog corpses buried in rather poor condition or thrown away in bags. Since the bodies of the animals were deformed and covered in blood, clearly these dogs did not die of “natural causes” either. The animal bodies are recovered from the ground and taken by the authorities for examination. Ankara Bar Association Animal Rights Centre lawyers, who have been following the case, stated that veterinarians have reached a preliminary conclusion that the animals were killed with a poisonous substance. In light of the knowledge and experience gained from previous mass killings in Turkey, it is believed that these poisonous substances were chemicals such as bleach or insecticides. As a matter of fact, the municipalities are trying to carry out the killings in the cheapest ways possible.

Photo credits: @WeAnimalsMedia

July, 17 2024 – The draft bill proposed by the AK Party regarding the “euthanasia” of stray animals was discussed in the Turkish Commission. A second discussion has been scheduled on the agenda in the next few days. If the bill passes, it will be finally voted by the Turkish Parliament.

Premise – The Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey has put forth a draft bill that would permit the capture and euthanasia of stray animals across the nation. This distressing development follows the resurgence of the issue of dog over population, prompting President Erdoğan to take urgent action.

The proposed law mandates that municipalities collect strays and confined them to shelters that many time turn to be horrific death centers. Dogs not adopted within 30 days will be euthanized as well as healthy dogs, spayed/neutered dogs, non-aggressive dogs, not to talk about sick dogs and  banned breeds .

This proposal is based on the incorrect and unproven idea that spaying and neutering methods are ineffective, justifying in this way a massacre of innocent beings. Instead of investing in sustainable and ethical approaches, municipalities are opting for a cruel and inhumane solution. The proposed law also highlights the failure of many municipalities to meet the requirement to create shelters, as outlined in the revised Animal Rights Law of 2021.

Give six abandoned cats a chance

This is a plea for help for 6 innocent souls that lost everything in less than a day. Six cats left alone in Dubai after their owner passed away rescued by volunteers

OIPA International has been contacted by an Italian supporter for an emergency situation in Dubai, where 6 cats had been left alone in one apartment after their owner suddenly passed away in very sad circumstances. The man had no one, familiars or friends neither in Dubai nor in Italy, able to take over these poor animals and to look after them for the rest of their lives.

We therefore had to act fast to transfer the cats from the apartment and to prevent the landlord from dumping them in the middle of the street.
A race against time, trying to find local volunteers promptly available to give their contribution to this emergency rescue mission.

We finally moved cats from the house and we temporary hospitalized them to a veterinary clinic to assest their health conditions and check their vaccination booklets.

They are all well now, just look lost and terribly sad having no idea about why their lives have changed so much!  We have renewed all their vaccinations and provided deworming treatment.

Tsunami – black persian female, 14 years
K2 – white and orange male, 3 years
Meccanocat – black and white male, 7 years
Sonapur – three coloured female, 8 years
Omicron – white and brindle male, 3 years
Bom Bom – brindle male, 6 years

We are now asking everyone’s help to raise funds to cover the costs of their boarding in Dubai and their relocation to Italy, where we will try to find their new forever homes.

We would prefer to not split them, however it might be a necessary decision being hard to find a single home that will welcome them all together.
Left with no solution and no help, we beg everyone to donate even 10 euro towards this desperate case, which is impossible to manage without proper funds.

❤️ HELP US GIVE THEM A NEW CHANCE ❤️

A brief update about the six cats rescued in Dubai after their beloved human friend suddenly passed away

After being rescued and receiving medical care at the veterinary clinic for some days, three of the felines were transferred to a boarding facility, while two others were placed in a temporary foster home.

Tsunami, the eldest of the group, was fortunate enough to be adopted by a caring woman and now resides with a new furry companion – proving that age is no obstacle to finding a loving home. Due to this fortunate and unforeseen adoption, she was spared the ordeal of being placed in boarding or foster care, and will not have to endure the added strain of being relocated overseas.

Meccanocat (black and white) and K2 (red and white) were successfully treated for an eye and dental infection. They recovered well and they are now ready to fly abroad with their three friends.

We urgently need to book their flights, however without your financial assistance, these abandoned cats may miss out on a chance for a better life, as the initial plan to relocate them to Italy has been overridden by the promising adoption opportunities recently arose in the UK.

Help us guarantee them a good future, supporting us with pending boarding, fostering, flights costs and vet bills

Hello dear animal lovers,

your invaluable support is crucial for the success of our daily rescue activities! As in the case of the six cats confined inside an apartment in Dubai after their beloved human companion passed away unexpectedly. An Italian man, who had been living alone surrounded solely by the affection of his four-legged friends.

Thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers, we were able to intervene and rescue the cats. After being hospitalized for some days for check-up and vaccinations, they were transferred to a boarding facility while we were seeking the most suitable solution for them to begin a new life.

The eldest, a 14-year-old female named Tsunami, was fortunately adopted by a kind woman in Dubai, however, two of the cats had to be moved again to a veterinary clinic for some weeks. K2, the red and white cat, was treated for a respiratory infection, while Meccanocat, the black and white cat, was hospitalized for a kidney disease.

After more than a month of boarding, three of the cats could finally fly to the UK for adoption. Despite we booked and paid also for Meccanocat, he couldn’t leave due to his poor health condition.

We are currently awaiting the opportunity to provide a new beginning for the remaining two. However, before we can schedule their flights, we must cover the outstanding expenses, which include the boarding facility and the veterinary clinics for K2 and Meccanocat.

The initial veterinary bills following the rescue, as well as the flights and documents for the departed cats have been paid with your precious support to our fundraiser. However, we are still seeking your help in covering the missing amount (around 6000 AED).