A controversial article in a bill that allows the euthanasia of stray dogs under certain conditions without any direct reference to the practice has been approved by a subcommittee of the Turkish parliament, but changes introduced to narrow the conditions for euthanasia have satisfied neither the opposition nor animal rights activists, the BBC Turkish service 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, according to the bill’s earlier version. Critics argued this approach is inhumane and unnecessary, advocating instead for a mass neutering campaign.
The subcommittee has approved the first seven articles of the bill so far, including the controversial fifth article on Monday evening, where the word “euthanasia” was removed from the text and replaced by a reference to the Law on Veterinary Services, which sets the conditions for euthanasia.
The exclusion of the word “euthanasia” from the text has been interpreted as an attempt to reduce public criticism although there is an indirect reference to it through the Law on Veterinary Services, which actually bans euthanasia but sets strict conditions for the practice to be implemented.
The bill, which initially allowed local municipalities to euthanize all dogs that pose a threat to “public safety,” now only allows the euthanasia of dogs that suffer from an incurable disease, when the prevention or eradication of an animal disease that poses a danger to the human life is in question, when their behavior poses a risk to human and animal life or when their negative behavior cannot be controlled.
The changes came after the broad definition of “threat to public safety” prompted accusations from animal rights activists and opposition politicians, who argued that local municipalities could seek a shortcut solution by opting for the mass culling of dogs in their jurisdictions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated that approximately 4 million stray animals are wandering the streets and rural areas of Turkey. While many of them are docile, an increasing number of dogs are seen roaming in packs, and numerous people have been attacked.
The revised proposal forces municipalities to remove stray dogs from the streets and put them in shelters where they will be neutered.
Municipalities would also be required to build dog shelters or improve conditions in existing shelters by 2028.
Revised version of bill still problematic
Fatma Biltekin, one of the founders of the Animal Rights Monitoring Committee (HAKİM), told the Artı Gerçek news website that removing the word “euthanasia” from the fifth article of the bill doesn’t mean that stray animals won’t be euthanized.
Biltekin said the ambiguity of the term “negative behavior” in the fifth article was worrisome in a country where some municipalities define running, barking or just the size of the stray animal as a sign of aggression.
“The most problematic part of this article is that it refers to the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. According to the convention, animals can be killed without any justification if it is decided that the [their] population is a problem,” Biltekin further said.
Özge Özgüner, from the Life for Law Initiative, also said the reference to the convention was dangerous, adding, “According to the bill, species defined as ‘dangerous’ and confined to shelters will also be killed as soon as the law is passed. In other words, euthanasia has not been removed from the text of the law as publicized [by the pro-government media].”
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, who spoke at a party meeting on Tuesday, thanked the opponents of the bill for making the removal of the word “euthanasia” from the text possible, but he also expressed concern about the widespread implementation of the practice under the bill’s new version.
“The bill gives responsibilities to the municipalities [to resolve the stray dog problem], but it does not talk about transfer of any funds to them [to achieve this],” said Özel.
The earlier version of the bill was 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.
Current legislation mandates that municipalities neuter and vaccinate street dogs and return them to their original locations after treatment.
The CHP and other smaller parties oppose the bill. The ruling AKP and its nationalist allies, however, hold a majority in parliament, and the bill is likely to pass when it reaches the full assembly for final approval.
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.