Turkey To Remove Four Million Stray Dogs From Streets, Animal Rights Activists Condemn ‘Massacre Law’

Legislators in Turkey approved a new law aimed at removing stray dogs from the country’s streets, leaving animal rights activists fearful that the dogs will be killed or placed in overcrowded shelters.

The Turkish Grand National Assembly approved the legislation during an overnight session to ensure the law was passed before the summer recess. Those in opposition to the decision deemed the bill the “massacre law.”

“Despite the opposition’s provocations and campaigns based on lies and distortions, the National Assembly once again listened to the people, refusing to ignore the cries of the silent majority,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement. He now needs to sign the bill into law.

It is estimated that four million stray dogs roam the streets in Turkey and surrounding areas, with a growing number gathering in packs and attacking civilians. While the country also has a large stray cat population, the measure only addresses dogs.

The legislation requires the collection of stray dogs, who will then be housed in shelters and get vaccinated, neutered and spayed before becoming available for adoption. Dogs who seem to be in pain, terminally ill or dangerous will be euthanized.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered in Istanbul’s Sishane Square, declaring the “massacre law is just a piece of paper for us. We will write the law on the streets. Life and solidarity, not hatred and hostility, will win.”

Turkey’s Republican People’s Party claimed they would fight back against the ruling.

“You have made a law that is morally, conscientiously and legally broken,” senior deputy for the party Murat Emir said in Parliament on Sunday. “You cannot wash your hands of blood.”