Türkiye’s experience in fighting street dogs

According to the international group Tasnim News Agency, Turkey is one of the countries that seriously, with The dangers of dog attacks and nuisance have been faced and hundreds of citizens of this country, as victims who have been attacked by dogs, have requested to revise the laws of this country. The issue of dealing with the dangers and nuisance of dogs is also like many other Intellectual and cultural issues in Turkey have become a problem that is viewed under political-social bipolarity. In such a way that the extreme supporters of animal rights consider this issue as an irrational legal and political approach of the conservatives.

But the conservatives say: You cannot joke with the statistics of victims of dog harassment. Our problem is not a religious and cultural problem, but a completely security problem, and the encounters of extreme dog fans have endangered the lives of many citizens.

56 killed as a result of dog attacks
Dog attacks on pedestrians have exceeded the limit of injuries and even many people have lost their lives because of this, and Turkish society It has become sensitive to this issue. So far, a significant number of Turkish citizens, especially women and children, have been attacked by dogs. The reliable Turkish news site “Khaber Yedi” reported that only during 2023, 23 Turkish citizens were killed by dogs in various urban areas, and including the eventful 8 months of 2022, the total number of people killed in A period of 20 months reached 56 people, which is a high and alarming number. 13 of the victims who lost their lives were children and teenagers aged 7 to 13. >Bipolar Stray Dogs or Stray Children
As mentioned, the extreme supporters of animal rights are not willing to be burdened by any means. accept the fact that dogs can pose serious risks to citizens’ lives.

Not long ago, an 8-year-old child was attacked by a pack of stray dogs and tragically killed in one of Adana’s neighborhoods. The publication of photos of the child victim, where part of his face was lost, had many reflections in the cyberspace.

The father of the said child announced that “stray dogs” are a serious danger to children’s lives and must be dealt with. But a dog rights activist launched a campaign with the title: “Stray children are dangerous, not stray dogs.” 

The subject of dog attacks and their dangers for the lives of Turkish citizens has had such a wide social impact that dozens of Turkish media now use the new term “dog terrorist threat” and believe that dogs, in many neighborhoods and cities in Turkey, are actually a terrorist threat. and have become anti-security.

These media accuse the extreme fans of animals that by feeding animals, they increase their population and endanger the lives of passers-by.

Of course, besides the issue of the dangers of stray dogs, another issue that has attracted the attention of the media is the necessity of applying strict rules to bring home dogs in public places and the mandatory use of muzzles for dangerous dogs.

Erdogan’s new decision about dogs
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was recently forced through the Justice and Development Party and Parliament to Adopt a new law to control stray dogs. Erdogan called for some new changes in animal protection laws. He asked the Turkish parliament to adopt new measures to control dogs before the summer vacation. Law No. 5199 regarding the rights of animals was such a strict law that it made it impossible to deal with stray dogs and eliminate their nuisance. But now by applying some changes and reforms, it will be easier to manage this security threat. Of course, Erdogan, due to the high sensitivity of animal rights associations, even in the event of serious risks, will allow the related forces. Dogs have not been killed and the only way left is to collect dogs and concentrate them in special centers.

The legal studies department of the Justice and Development Party, by holding several specialized meetings, made the necessary arrangements for the sterilization regulations of stray dogs and It has compiled the construction of enough shelters to maintain them, but the problem here is that following this directive also has high economic costs. Sterilization, vaccination, maintenance and feeding of thousands of stray dog ​​collars in centers belonging to municipalities are costly. It is excessive. However, in a letter he wrote to the Turkish Parliament, Erdogan pointed out that “the place of homeless animals is in the shelter, not in the street”.

Dangers of dogs for Turkish tourism

Turkey’s 50 billion dollar tourism industry is an issue that besides the government It also involves many guilds, economic groups and hundreds of thousands of Turkish citizens. Because this country does not have fuel resources and the most important source of income for the government is from the travel of millions of tourists from the world to Turkey and their presence in the coastal provinces of this country. But now it has been reported that the nuisance of dogs has also endangered tourism.  

Turkish media have announced that increasing the risk of dog attacks can lead to a decrease in the number of “blue flags” in Turkey. “Blue Flag” in the member states of the European Union as microbiological parameters to determine the necessary quality of water for the purpose of swimming in pools and the health and safety of traffic on the coasts.

Turkey in this regard It has an international record, and the international jury of Blue Flag winners in 2023 announced that Turkey, with 551 beaches, 23 recreational ports, 14 tourist boats, and 10 individual pleasure boats, ranked third in the world and ranked first and second. It is owned by Greece and Spain respectively. Italy and France are also in the next ranks after Turkey.

Cleanliness of sea water, importance to environmental management, activities related to environmental awareness, responding to the needs of users of Beaches and piers and guaranteeing the safety of the environment are among the indicators of the Blue Flag award.

This award includes 33 indicators for beaches and 25 indicators for piers. Every year, Turkey hosts millions of tourists from all over the world and the beaches of this country are very profitable.

In the coastal provinces of Mugla, Izmir, Antalya, Edirne, Aydin, Balk Asir and Canak. Qala, the cleanest beaches in the world have been identified. But now, with the indiscriminate entry of stray and disturbing dogs to these beaches, the managers of Turkey’s tourism department are very worried about maintaining their country’s position in the club of blue flag countries.

Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV ) Turkey’s representative in the Blue Flag program has stated that a significant part of tourists’ complaints from the beaches are due to the arrival of dogs and pets, and this problem can easily lead to the loss of billions of dollars in beach accommodation income.

TÜRÇEV’s warning letter to the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministries of Environment, Urban Development and Climate Change emphasized that 109 complaints about the arrival of dogs and pets on Blue Flag beaches in the summer season of 2023 registered and the continuation of this process will force Turkey to accept failure against its European competitors.

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