A map app where users can upload the location of stray dogs to warn others about possible attacks is under the spotlight due to allegations that it aids those who want to harm or even kill the dogs. A bar association in Istanbul plans to file a lawsuit for the closure of the app.
The app Havrita, whose name is derived from the Turkish words for bark and map, was recently launched by a group of activists who run social media accounts to point out what they called the “stray dog problem” of the country. The activists have advocated for more action to remove stray dogs from the streets after a series of dog attacks on people across Türkiye, in which the victims were mostly children.
The app shows places with a high concentration of stray dogs and users can upload photos of the pack of stray dogs and pinpoint their exact location in 81 provinces.
Gülsaniye Ekmekçi, a lawyer who heads the Istanbul Bar Associaton Animal Rights Commission, told Demirören News Agency (DHA) on Sunday that the app should be closed in its entirety, citing the poisoning of 10 dogs in the Muratpaşa district of the southern province of Antalya after the dogs’ location was tagged on the app.
Devrim Koçak, another lawyer who is among the activists that founded the online platform against the dangers of stray dogs and the app, defends the app. She told DHA that the app did not have a mission “to harm the dogs.” “A person will not check out our app if he/she wants to harm a dog,” she says. Koçak said they faced a “lynching campaign” but this, in turn, increased use of the app, noting that they had 3,542 visits in one hour.
Ekmekçi, on the other hand, says the tagging on the map did not have “good intentions.” “This is an app created by people who do not want dogs on the streets, those who want them to be rounded up and killed. We hear about the reports of dog killings in locations tagged on the map. People call us and tell us about those killings,” she stated.
She claimed the platform behind the app and social media accounts likely had “enormous power” to spread hatred toward animals. “All of a sudden, our society is divided into two groups: animal lovers and enemies of animals. This platform is apparently set up to provoke the public. As lawyers, we are disturbed. This is against the law, this is against animal rights, the law for the protection of animals and international treaties of Türkiye is on the side of (animal welfare),” she said.
Ekmekçi said the country’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK), under current laws, had the authority to shut down apps threatening the right to live, without the necessity of a lawsuit. “Animals cannot defend themselves and only humans can defend them. We will continue our struggle until the app is closed and will take action if they relaunch it under another name,” she said. She noted that animal lovers were also under threat due to the app. “Animal lovers visit the locations shown on the app once they are tagged, to protect the animals. This certainly may put them in danger,” she said.
Koçak said their app sought to address the problem of “packs of dogs gathering in and near public places like hospitals, playgrounds, schools and mosques.”
“People are taking their children to parks and face this problem. This is not a dog problem for us, this is rather about stray dogs. Even adopted dogs can scare children if they are not on a leash. We want to prevent this stray (dog) problem,” she said.
She also said 16 people died in the first five months of 2022 in incidents caused by dog attacks, including traffic accidents those dogs caused. Koçak added that they had no responsibility regarding the content in the app, referring to the tagging.
