The Istanbul Governor’s Office announced on Saturday that efforts must be accelerated by local administrations to fulfill their obligations regarding the collection of stray dogs and their transfer to animal shelters, warning that judicial proceedings will be initiated by the end of May against municipalities that fail to meet their responsibilities.

A formal letter signed by Istanbul Governor Davut Gül was sent to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and all district municipalities concerning the collection of stray dogs.

The letter noted that the Animal Protection Law No. 5199 entered into force on July 30, 2024, and the Regulation on the Implementation of the Animal Protection Law came into effect on Dec.r 13, 2024, following their publication in the Official Gazette. With these amendments, the legislation clearly mandates that stray animals must be collected by local authorities and transported to designated animal shelters.

It further emphasized that Article 6 of the Animal Protection Law stipulates, "Stray or weakened animals must be taken as quickly as possible to animal shelters established or authorized by local administrations.”

In addition, Article 7(a) of the implementation regulation, under the section "Duties and Responsibilities of Local Governments,” requires municipalities to collect such animals in accordance with the law and deliver them to licensed shelters. These responsibilities are explicitly assigned to local administrations.

The statement also highlighted that in certain areas of the province, packs of stray dogs roaming freely pose risks to public safety and property. It noted that incidents involving attacks by stray dogs, some of which have been covered in national media, have resulted in injuries to citizens.

Evaluations conducted during meetings with municipal and institutional representatives indicated that the process of collecting stray dogs has been progressing slowly. It also pointed out that although land allocations have been made for the construction of new natural living areas in municipalities where shelter capacity is nearing its limit, construction activities have not yet begun.

The Governor’s Office concluded by stressing that all actions under the responsibility of local administrations must be expedited. It called for the stray dog population to be brought under control across districts by the end of May and stated that legal action would be initiated through public prosecutors against municipalities that neglect their duties.