Istanbul Governor’s Office orders sterilization of stray dogs

ISTANBUL

Istanbul Governor’s Office has sent a directive to relevant authorities in all 39 districts to facilitate the sterilization of stray dogs in order to control their population, after people raised concerns following some dog attack incidents in the country.

In the written notice also sent to the Istanbul Municipality, it was emphasized that the rehabilitation of street animals falls under the jurisdiction and responsibility of local administrations.

"The instruction requires stray dogs to be taken, collected and transported to rehabilitation centers for spaying/neutering and treatment, and after a period of observation and confirmation of their regained health, they should be released back to their previous locations,” read the statement by the office.

The instruction also reminded about the Animal Protection Law and the Implementation Regulation on the Protection of Animals, stating that "unowned and weakened animals must be promptly taken by local administrations to animal shelters established or authorized by them."

In recent years, the issue of increasing numbers of stray animals has become a hot topic of debate, especially due to some attack incidents.

While some citizens demand the collection and relocation of stray dogs, citing concerns about their safety, many animal rights activists stressed that such requests violate international laws on animals.