ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party submitted to parliament Friday a controversial bill aimed at managing the country’s large stray dog population. Critics are concerned that the proposed legislation will results in dogs being confined to cramped shelters and potentially lead to the killing of many of the animals.
The bill is pitting animal rights activists against those calling for measures to make the streets safe from the feral dogs.
Erdogan has said that an estimated four million strays are roaming Turkey’s streets and countryside.
The legislation is a watered-down version of an initial proposal, which reportedly called for the strays to be rounded up, housed in shelters and euthanized if they are not adopted within 30 days. That proposal, which was not submitted to parliament, had ignited a public uproar, with animal rights activists arguing it would result in the mass extermination of unadopted dogs.
Abdullah Guler, a senior legislator from the ruling party, told reporters that under the revised proposal, stray dogs would be removed from the streets and placed into shelters where they would be neutered and spayed.
The dogs that are at risk of rabies, exhibit aggressive behavior and have no possibility of being rehabilitated would be euthanized, Guler said.
Municipalities would be required to enhance and improve conditions in existing shelters while people would be encouraged to adopt the dogs, the legislator added.
Erdogan’s ruling party and its nationalist and Islamist allies hold a majority in parliament and the bill is likely to pass when it reaches the floor. No date has been set.
A report released by the Safe Streets and Defense of the Right to Life Association, an organization campaigning for the removal of all stray dogs from the streets, says that 65 people have died in street dog attacks since 2022.
The government promised to tackle the issue earlier this year after a child was severely injured after being attacked by dogs in the capital Ankara.
Despite existing legislation that requires stray dogs to be caught, neutered and spayed, and returned to the spot where they were found, a failure to implement those regulations over the past years has caused the feral dog population to explode, animal rights groups say.
They argue that proper implementation of these regulations would be sufficient to control the population.
Britain has recently issued a stray dog warning for travelers to Turkey, stating that they often form packs and can be aggressive. It has advised visitors to be cautious and avoid approaching them.