Animal rights activists gather in major Istanbul rally

ISTANBUL

Thousands of animal rights activists gathered in Istanbul’s Fatih district to protest the newly enacted legislation on stray dogs following the call to action disseminated via social media by various associations.

Last month, the Turkish parliament approved the new law aimed at removing millions of stray dogs from the streets citing safety concerns. Animal activists fear it will lead to widespread culling or dogs ending up in disease-ridden and overcrowded shelters.

The protesters on Sept. 1 called for the law to be repealed, brandishing posters reading “shelters are death camps” and “hands off my dog.”

Addressing the crowd, Yasemin Yılmaz, a representative of the Association for the Protection of Animals, Nature and Humans, proclaimed, “This society will not sanction the slaughter of these innocent creatures.”

“The fight for compassion will persist until this misguided decision is overturned.”

Prominent figures, such as musicians Ajda Pekkan and Sertab Erener, stood in solidarity with the animal rights activists. Erener passionately declared, “The passage of this law unleashed a cry within me, and I said we must unite. Every evil ends in goodness, and we shall crush this one because we are far stronger.”

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry estimated that around 4 million stray dogs roam Türkiye’s streets and rural areas. Several incidents that resulted in deaths and severe injuries prompted the government to tackle the problem.

The new legislation requires municipalities to collect stray dogs and house them in shelters to be vaccinated, neutered and spayed before making them available for adoption. Dogs that are in pain, terminally ill or pose a health risk to humans will be euthanized. The initial draft bill included cats, but that article was changed after a public outcry. Videos showing dead cats and dogs buried in ditches have been circulating on social media recently.