Dog Of War

Issue #220

Upgrade alert: By adding a tractor and watermelon to the mix, these Bursa men have one-upped those trending male massage videos.

In this week’s recap:

• Stray animal bill advances amid protest

• Erdoğan backs two-states for Cypriots

• Article imposing surnames on women retracted

• Assad talks, Sisi visit loading

• Ankara diplomacy wrap

• Broken AC sparks one-man sit-in protest

Also from us this week: 

• Sevilay Nur Saraçlar on how inflation is hitting Antalya’s tourism industry

Animal rights demonstrators in Kadıköy, İstanbul, Tuesday. © Ingrid Woudwijk

İstanbul residents rallied against the much-discussed street animal bill Tuesday evening in Kadıköy. Dogs at the scene were outfitted with signs reading ‘Withdraw the Law’ as participants sang a rendition of ‘Bella Ciao’ with altered lyrics that called for the protection of strays.

That same evening, the bill passed the parliamentary Agriculture Commission following a few days and nights of tense debates. 

In summary, in the accepted version of the draft law, the current "catch-neuter-release" method will be replaced by "catch-neuter-keep-adopt", which means all dogs will be removed from the streets, and put into shelters until someone adopts them. 

“We are talking about 4.5-5 million stray dogs. It is not currently possible to restrain them only through sterilization,” AKP MP Selman Özboyacı told Turkey recap. “We no longer want a stray dog ​​on our streets. If we have citizens who love dogs, they can adopt dogs.” 

Regarding the much-debated culling, the word “euthanasia” has been removed from the bill. 

Yet the practice of putting dogs to sleep will still be possible through an older Veterinary Services Law. The existing legislation allows for the culling of dogs that “pose a danger to the life and health of humans and animals, whose negative behavior cannot be controlled, who have a contagious or untreatable disease, or who are prohibited from being adopted,” reports BBC Türkçe. 

“Unfortunately, people act like all dogs will be killed, but this is not the truth,” Özboyacı said. 

Yet in Kadıköy Tuesday night, most attendees were highly suspicious of the vague wording. Protesters spoke about a potential ‘massacre’ and dubbed the bill a ‘murder law’, though most supported other measures to reduce the stray population.

“They claim to have abolished euthanasia, but nothing actually changes,” said Seçil Aracı, who held a sign in her hand with the slogan ‘Slaughter can be no law’. “If they take animals from the streets into shelters, they will all die anyway. In my opinion those shelters are a death camp,” she told Turkey recap.

The draft bill has also been described as a way to divert attention from other problems. 

“I also can’t shake the sense that for the government, this is not really about the dogs,” journalist Kaya Genç wrote in his NYT essay. “With the economy faltering and after a poor showing in spring municipal elections, [Erdoğan] and his party have again been looking for somewhere to redirect people’s ire.” 

For his part, Pres. Erdoğan said Wednesday the bill would pass Parliament before the August recess, lashing out at the opposition, the media and others that spoke out against the law. MP Özboyacı expected the law to be discussed in parliament within two weeks. 

The CHP has vowed municipalities under its control will not implement the law, adding this bill intends to put the blame on opposition mayors. Urfa mayor Kasım Gülpinar (of Yeniden Refah Party, but previously an AKP MP) also said he would not euthanize dogs. 

Local administrators not complying with the law could face prison sentences up to two years, stressed Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı. 

Yet it remains unclear whether the municipalities will have sufficient budgets and resources to address the stray issue. A report from the Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU) showed financial constraints are already the main obstacle for the municipalities' ability to establish and maintain adequate shelters while implementing sterilization programs, Büşra İnce, a researcher for the report, told Turkey recap.

“Inconsistent regulation enforcement and the varying responsibilities of municipalities based on their population size further complicate efforts … This uneven distribution of responsibilities highlights the need for state-provided resources and support,” said İnce, who also is a Urban Policy Expert at the MMU. 

Filling the gaps in the existing laws is crucial, İnce said, adding:

“Euthanasia does not address the root causes of street animal population growth and raises some ethical concerns. Our study indicates that the most effective solutions include increased sterilization efforts, public education on responsible pet ownership, enhanced shelter facilities and the implementation of effective sanctions.” 

– Ingrid Woudwijk

Özel was not happy about the seating at the TRNC parade. © TCCB

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