What to do with 4 million stray dogs? Türkiye divided between sterilization and euthanasia

The fate of the approximately 4 million stray dogs that, in addition to wild cats, are found in Turkey’s cities and rural areas is dividing Turkish opinion. According to the “Financial Timesâ€the population of stray dogs is equivalent to the number of inhabitants of Izmir, the third largest province in the country.

President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan’s party, in power, considers that the problem of stray dogs has reached “an unsustainable point†, with risks to security and public health (as they transmit diseases through from bites and excrement). In May, he declared that this was a problem that “does not exist in any developed country†.

That is why he advocates a new approach to controlling the dog population, described in a bill that, although it has not yet been presented to the Turkish Parliament, is circulating in the media in line with the state. In it, the Justice and Development Party proposes that local authorities collect stray dogs, sterilize them and make them available for adoption. Those who, within 30 days, cannot be adopted must be euthanized.

Until now, policies regarding stray dogs have focused on collecting the animals, sterilizing them and returning them to the places where they were found. But, as some veterinarians and politicians point out, these measures have been implemented inconsistently.

According to veterinarians interviewed by the BBC and the “Financial Times†, the current management of the stray dog ​​population comes up against the absence of shelters or facilities, in many municipalities, where dogs can be sterilized and vaccinated. Furthermore, the abandonment of animals and the excessive reproduction and sales of dogs also contributed to the increase in this population.

According to state statistics, mentioned to the BBC by a volunteer from the Safe Streets association (which works with victims of stray dog ​​attacks), in the last five years these dogs have contributed to 55 deaths, more than 5 thousand injuries and 3500 traffic accidents.

Animal rights activists, along with dog lovers, question the existence of facilities capable of shouldering these additional responsibilities. Some opposition politicians also highlight that it will be difficult to kill these animals humanely, warning of the risk of ending their lives “with pain and brutality†.

Also in Ankara, the majority of the population (80%) believes that dogs should be removed from the streets, but less than 3% believe that they should be killed.