Unidentified assailants shoot, injure stray dog in Turkey’s Antalya

ANTALYA

A stray dog was injured after one or more unidentified suspects intentionally opened fire on it in the Mediterranean province of Antalya on Aug. 29.

The injured dog, named “Dabel,” was found in Antalya’s Dağbeli area.

He was immediately rushed to the Stray Animal Care Center of the Antalya Municipality, said Arife Yanik, the head of the Antalya Candost Organization, an animal rights group.

Yanık said the dog was injured on his belly and one of his paws, while a number of bullets were removed from his body.

She added that the vet had detected that the shotgun had been fired close to the dog as one of his paws was also broken. 

“Dabel is still in critical condition. We are trying to help him survive. We will file a complaint to the gendarmerie and the prosecutor’s office to find who is responsible,” Yanık said.

The vet from the animal care center, Volkan Toprak, said the dog was brought there after they suspected he was injured in a car accident, but bullet wounds were detected after they took a radioscopy.

Officials at the center said Dabel had made progress since the treatment had started.

On July 17, also in Antalya, a 39-year-old man killed a stray dog in a hit-and-run. 

The man later confessed his crime but denied he did it intentionally. He was released by the court but was given an administrative fine of 1,097 Turkish Liras and his driver’s license was suspended.