An orange cat used to wait outside the door where I go to exercise. But this autumn I was instead met by a substantial light brown dog. It doesn’t budge so much as a millimeter when I approach, and doesn’t bat an eyelid as I step over its drowsy body to enter. – She is so sweet, says my Turkish trainer about the dog. Seval is a typical resident of Istanbul. She believes that four-legged animals have just as much right to live in the big city as two-legged ones. She herself has saved the lives of two cats, who like to join me when I train. I have written about the street cats before. She clearly has a big heart for the street dogs too, and even if she doesn’t follow the news or is on social media, she has caught up with what’s going on. The Turkish authorities want the street dogs dead. They believe there have been too many of them and can be a danger to people. PAIR: Two dogs have teamed up. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news “Massacre law” This summer they passed a law that is colloquially called the “massacre law”. It requires stray dogs to be placed in kennels. There they will be neutered and vaccinated and made ready for adoption. Sick dogs must be killed. But those who are not adopted also risk the same fate. – It is madness. They need to put that law away, says my pilates trainer. She has taken part in the loud demonstrations, which have caused thousands to protest in cities across the country. The commitment is so great that some believe the law was only passed to get people to focus on something other than sky-high inflation and financial difficulties. ISTANBUL: Several thousand people have participated in demonstrations. Photo: AP In the past, municipalities have been required to castrate all street dogs and then release them back into the open. The hope was that they would die out on their own. The authorities have also tried other measures, such as transporting them out of the cities. It was also seen as a final solution for a while. Instead, it has created many life-threatening situations for both dogs and people. SUNSET: They are everywhere, even at sunset. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news On the way to the airport, I often see the dogs left behind lying in small clusters dozing. But just as it is, one of them comes across the road so that the taxi, which always drives at racing speed, has to brake suddenly. According to the Ministry of the Interior, ten people have been killed and over 2,000 injured in car accidents or dog attacks in the past two years. Lack of kennels Although most of the dogs are harmless, they can become wild animals in a herd. Among other things, a ten-year-old boy was killed on his way home from school in December last year. A girl was hit and killed after running out into the road to get away from the dogs that were chasing her. CARDBOARD: Cardboard is placed on the pavement when it is cold. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news So now they are going to die. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that the new law is necessary for the streets to become safe. It is Erdogan and his party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), who have proposed the law change. SAND: Two dogs enjoy the soft sand. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news But there is only room for a little over a hundred thousand dogs in the country’s kennels, according to Reuters. So what will happen to the 3.9 million that cannot be placed in a kennel? 4 million stray dogs is, moreover, a sober estimate from the government. Others believe there are more than twice as many. Some of the many million street dogs in Turkey live in and around my neighborhood. They are all over the place. Under café tables, on pavements, in parks and outside shops and gyms. One of them has even been allowed to move inside the fence in front of my block. It’s black and white, old and lame and stalks me when I’m about to enter. If I try to pet her, I get growls back. CHAIR: A dog has settled down under a cafe table. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news The celebrity dog The street dogs are not cute little purse dogs if you think so. They are difficult. Most are herding dogs, which have been bred to help herd sheep and cattle. But in Istanbul they are not put to work and seem to have lost all instincts. CRUSH: Street dogs also like to be scratched. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Some have nevertheless been very successful. A dog called “Kampesteinen” has become a tourist attraction due to its large body. He is even marked on google maps. The abnormally large dog does not move far, in other words. He sits or lies by an ice cream shop in Istanbul’s busiest shopping street around the clock. CELEBRITY: Boulder the dog is perhaps the most photographed dog in the streets of Istanbul. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Another dog has been given its own statue at the place where it was hit. Dachsen Tarçın, which means “cinnamon” in Norwegian, turned 18 years old. It’s old for a street dog to be. Most do not live more than 5. Life on the streets is not a bed of roses. The dogs often have wounds in their fur. They waddle around with overly heavy bodies, limp on stiff hips and pant through hot summer days, of which there are many in Istanbul. But although life on the streets may not be good animal welfare, the animal rights activists believe that the alternative is worse. A veterinarian tells Reuters that the new law spells death in capital letters. The opposition has said it will take the law to the Supreme Court to have it annulled. Animal rights activists also resort to conspiracy theories. – This is not about animal rights, but is a war between the Turkish government and the oppressed, believes one of the demonstrators in the streets of Istanbul. She believes that the authorities will first persecute the dogs, and then the minorities. In other words, trust in the authorities in Turkey is not that great. FLY: Several are transported out of the country by animal lovers. Photo: Reuters Unlimited care The municipalities have been given time until 2028 to build enough kennels. But the animal welfare organizations believe it is unrealistic to achieve that. Therefore, many have found alternative solutions. Caring for the animals has become limitless. Groups abound on social media, asking animal lovers in Europe to take action. Turkish dogs are now moving to both Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. AIRPORT: A dog ready for adoption. Photo: Reuters Dezi is one of those who have arrived in the Netherlands. The owner Caroline mourned the loss of her own dog in June. When she heard about Turkey’s new law, she decided to save Dezi. – It’s just one of many dogs, but one is better than none, she tells Reuters. WARMTH: The animals receive a lot of care. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news It remains to be seen whether the new law will be implemented in practice and what will happen. Now the street dogs are facing a cold time anyway. Neighbors have put cardboard on the ground for the dog in the corner to lie on. Another is wrapped tightly in blankets. Istanbul without the four-legged is unthinkable. Published 12.11.2024, at 11.45
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Animal rights activists mobilize against Turkish law – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
