Number of abandoned animals increases in Turkey amid virus

ISTANBUL

Pet adoption rates have decreased by 90 percent in Turkey, as people have confined themselves to their houses.

While there has been a pet adoption boom in some countries such as the U.S., U.K. and Australia in times of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an opposite trend in Turkey, with much fewer people wanting to adopt pets.

The number of pet ownership was 230 in the period between March 10 and April 30 in 2019, but this figure was a staggeringly low 31 in the same period of this year, only in Istanbul.

As neutering works have stopped temporarily within the scope of the COVID-19 measures, the number of pets in animal shelters have also decreased. Currently, there are around 1,150 animals staying in municipal animal shelters.

A nearly 30 percent drop in injured animal notices to municipal shelters was recorded.

Ahmet Kemal Şenpolat, from the Animal Rights Federation (HAYTAP), claimed that there is a higher tendency to abandon animals in Turkey.

Şenpolat said that some people have abandoned their pets after misinformation that COVID-19 was spreading from pets to humans.

He stressed that people abandoning the animals could not be spotted because a microchipping system was not not running in the country.

Vahide Yüce Yüksel from “Ispartakule Paws” group, who voluntarily feeds animals and puts them up for adoption, also stated that there is an increase in the number of animals in the regions they operate.