The leader of an ultranationalist party in Turkey has expressed support for a proposed law that is currently being debated in parliament and could lead to the widespread euthanasia of stray dogs, saying the parliament should pass it as soon as possible, the Gazete Duvar news website reported.
The proposed legislation, introduced by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and being debated by the parliamentary Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Affairs Committee, seeks to round up stray dogs and put them in shelters until they can be adopted. Aggressive or incurably ill dogs would be euthanized. Critics argue this approach is inhumane and unnecessary, advocating instead for a mass neutering campaign.
Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Mustafa Destici spoke to the press before a meeting at party headquarters in Ankara about the proposed law over the weekend, arguing that it should be passed before parliament goes to summer recess and not postponed to October, when the session begins again.
“Turkey has a problem of stray, aggressive dogs. It has been going on for years. The BBP has strongly expressed the need to solve this problem,” Destici said.
He accused lawmakers from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) of reacting harshly to the father of 10-year-old Tunahan Yılmaz, a fourth-grader in Ankara who had been attacked by a pack of dogs and sustained serious injuries. He claimed the opposition lawmakers falsely accused the father of provocative behavior.
“This law must be passed before October, and our streets must be cleared of [stray] dogs,” Destici said.
The proposed law requires municipalities to allocate at least 0.3 percent of their annual budget to animal rehabilitation services and shelter construction, with a deadline of 2028 for new shelters and improvements to existing ones. The bill has been criticized for potentially leading to the unnecessary euthanasia of healthy animals and failing to address the root causes of the stray dog population problem, such as irresponsible pet ownership and insufficient neutering programs.
A recent survey conducted by MetroPOLL Research revealed that nearly 79 percent of the population supports putting stray animals in shelters rather than euthanizing them, with 95 percent being against the mass euthanasia of stray animals.
Animal rights activists have intensified protests against the bill as the debate continues in parliament and vow to keep up their protests until the bill is withdrawn.