Ankara Bar Association report advocates neutering to control stray animal population

The Ankara Bar Association has sent Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) a report advocating neutering as the best way to control stray animals, instead of euthanizing them, the Demirören news agency (DHA) reported on Friday.

The report comes as the ruling AKP has drafted legislation to get stray animals, especially dogs, off the streets. According to the controversial bill, the stray animals will be captured and put in shelters. If they are not adopted within a month, they will be euthanized.

The AKP cites concerns about attacks, road accidents and rabies as justification for the draft law that drew strong criticism from animal protection organizations and opposition parties.

According to DHA, the bar association’s report explains that each neighborhood or district has the capacity to host the free animal population, and even if the entire group is removed, the area will eventually be occupied by different animals. This is called the “vacuum effect” in the report.

The report noted that the ideal method for population control is to neuter or spay the animals living in a certain area and leave them in place, keeping that area full of animals incapable of reproduction.

“The risk of attack and disease will be minimized in each area that has animals with mild temperaments and a known health status,” the report said.

The bar association also noted that the move to euthanize animals, instead of choosing the “legal and humane” method of neutering, would be a violation of the right to life.

Among measures to control Turkey’s stray animal population, the report also recommended establishing animal hospitals and multiple neutering centers or shelters in districts with populations over 25,000, suggesting that local governments ensure these centers are close to settlements and staffed with trained personnel. It also proposed imposing judicial and administrative sanctions on local authorities who fail to perform spaying, neutering and other practices for the protection of animals, as required.

An average of 260,000 dogs were neutered annually in recent years, insufficient to have a significant impact.

The killing of stray animals is commonplace in Turkey, with dogs being particular targets. In most cases, perpetrators are people disturbed by their barking or attacks on their livestock or other animals.

Stray dogs have been targeted even more frequently since a fourth-grader, Tunahan Yılmaz (10), in Ankara was attacked by a pack of dogs and sustained serious injuries.

In addition to its poor record on human rights, the country also has a poor record on the protection of animal rights. There are frequent reports about the mass killing of stray dogs by municipalities, while animal cruelty is not punished by law.