Chips inserted into Kangals to monitor world-famous dogs

SİVAS

Officials started inserting chips into Kangals, world-renowned shepherd dogs, to monitor and protect the gene structure of the animals who are native to the Central Anatolian province of Sivas.

The chipping process is being held in a hub named “Kangal Training, Protection and Reproduction” recently opened at Meraküm Hill, a region 10 kilometers away from the city center.

“With the help of the chips, we can trace the dogs,” Engin Genç, a veterinarian at the center, told state-run Anadolu Agency.

The chips also include data about the dog’s date of birth, its medical records and vaccines given to the dog.

“Each chip is the passport of a dog,” Genç noted.

In the first phase of the project, some 100 kangals have been chipped and new chips will be inserted to every newborn dog.

However, chipping is not the only process conducted at the center to monitor and protect the gene structure of the Kangals, nicknamed “Anatolian lions.”

“We have a clinic. But now we are building a lab. We have thought of performing genetic experiments on the dogs with the academics at Cumhuriyet University,” the veterinarian noted.

“We take Kangals under protection at the center and will make scientific researches on the dog in the lab in the future.”

The Kangal shepherd dog is a breed of large livestock guardian dog in Sivas. Used as protection against wolves, bears and jackals in its native Turkey, the breed has been exported to some African countries like Namibia and Kenya in recent years to protect local herds from lions and cheetahs.

The desired height of a male Kangal is between 70 to 80 centimeters. An adult dog weighs between 48 to 60 kilos.

“We give the chipped baby Kangals to their new owners. In other words, we deliver the dogs with their ‘passports.’” Genç said.

The chips will also prevent cases of Kangal thefts as the owner will be able to trace it, according to the veterinarian.