Pet cemetery opens in Turkey’s west

İZMİR

A pet cemetery has been opened by the metropolitan municipality in the western province of İzmir, right next to a new animal shelter. The shelter was founded for stray animals in need of care while the cemetery was the first to open in the province.

The graveyard was built for animal lovers whose pets had died, Doğan News Agency reported on Sept. 15.
The shelter in the Seyrek district will provide treatment and rehabilitation for stray animals. It has the capacity to house 1,000 stray cats and dogs and will be able to provide for their needs. The shelter will start to serve in the following days. 

In addition, the cemetery next to the shelter was built with a burial capacity of 4,000 animals. The construction of the graveyard and the shelter reportedly cost a total of 5.6 million Turkish Liras. 

In addition, a shelter in another district of İzmir will be closed and merged with the newly-formed shelter. The animals in the shut-down facility will be transferred to the new one. 

According to the agency, the technical capacity of the shelter was as advanced as an animal hospital and the veterinarians there would be able to perform surgeries. 

The shelter, which was a need for the province, will temporarily house animals that can be healed with treatment and rehabilitation. It will provide permanent shelter for animals which can’t continue their lives on the streets, including those which are elderly, disabled, sick or aggressive, as well as breeds which are forbidden in Turkey.