Source: Flickr_stray dogs in marrakesch
Read to find out more about the latest possible bill in Turkey about stray dogs in the country. Understand how this issue overlaps with discussions about morality and rights.
Dogs are the best. Some people might disagree but mostly everyone loves dogs. Why shouldn’t we? They are loyal, smart, cute, and very helpful. They are man’s best friend! Unfortunately, many of them don’t have a home. But kind people find ways to take care of stray dogs however they can.
In the midst of such circumstances, what if we get a law which permanently removes stray dogs from the scene? Woah! That would be…. some decision. Doesn’t seem true, you say? This is exactly what the leaders in Turkey have been talking about nowadays. It could come into fruition. But not if the animal rights activists get a say in it?
The bill
Though the talks begin in May, the Turkish parliamentary commission started debating about a new bill this July. The bill is concerned with the huge stray dog population in Turkey which has reportedly gotten a bit out of control.
The bill is still under consideration but the local public has already gotten wind of it. The media got hand on a proposal about the process which will be adopted once this bill gets cleared. The original proposal stated that the dogs will get collected, housed, and euthanized if they don’t get adopted in 30 days. This was met with extreme criticism and led to revision of the proposal.
The revised proposal states that municipalities will have to gather all stray dogs and get them neutered and spayed. But if any dog suffers from any disease, it will be euthanized. This project will also include the construction of dog shelters by the year 2028.
This is different from the current law because currently, all caught dogs which get spayed and neutered are returned back to the place they were picked from.
What of public health?
Now, we have two groups clashing with each other because of the proposal. On one side, we have people who support this decision. Their argument is simple- we want safer streets.
There are reportedly 4 million stray dogs in Turkey. A lot of these are docile and don’t cause any stress. But many do not take nicely to people in their areas. These dogs roam around in groups and have, reportedly, attacked multiple people.
An association by the name of the Safe Streets and Defense of the Right to Life Association released reports in response to negative reactions to the bill. According to these reports, some 65 people have succumbed in 2022 because of stray dog attacks. Another report says that more than 3,500 accidents were caused because of drivers trying to avoid strays. This in turn caused the deaths of at least 55 people.
The government had also promised to work something out when Ankara, the capital, had reported that a 10-year-old kid had been severely injured by strays there.
What about their rights?
Source: Wikimedia_By Andrey from Russia – Stray dogs, CC BY 2.0
What about their lives? This is the argument put forward by animal rights activists which make up the second group debating the issue of this bill.
After the people in Turkey got to hear about the proposals, they voiced their opposition to both of them. Their main concern is how the dogs will get euthanized because of the bill. Every animal lover and animal rights activist in Turkey is fearful about this outcome.
They mentioned how the government doesn’t even have the capacity to keep all dogs and this only happened because of insufficient neutering over the past 20 years. A lot of problems lie in the way the authorities managed the issue earlier.
When the proposal was being debated, the parliament had requested media and NGO representatives to give them space by leaving the room. They said the room wasn’t big enough. A bigger room was arranged for the meeting while activists started protesting in a park in opposition to the bill.
So, these are the two sides of a coin. Only the future will tell what lies in the fate of the strays in Turkey.
Resources
The bill
- FRASER, S. (2024, July 17). Turkish legislators hold tense debate on bill to control stray dogs. Critics fear a mass culling. AP News; AP News. https://apnews.com/article/turkish-parliamentary-committee-debates-stray-dogs-legislation-5603006ddb3af40e171ab3ff676d67b3
Public health
- FRASER, S. (2024, July 17). Turkish legislators hold tense debate on bill to control stray dogs. Critics fear a mass culling. AP News; AP News. https://apnews.com/article/turkish-parliamentary-committee-debates-stray-dogs-legislation-5603006ddb3af40e171ab3ff676d67b3
What about their rights?
- Craig, V. (2024, July 5). Turkey’s stray dogs face euthanasia under possible government bill. Bbc.com; BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnl020jvyppo
Butler, D. (2024, May 30). Turkey’s plan to get stray dogs off streets touches raw nerve. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-plan-get-stray-dogs-off-streets-touches-raw-nerve-2024-05-30/
