A comprehensive study initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry aims to solve the rising problem of stray dogs within a short span of time after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his concern about the issue, stating, "I am closely monitoring this matter, and we intend to adopt the same successful approaches that have resolved this problem in developed countries and Europe."
With the escalating issue of stray animals being brought before Parliament, the ministry has criticized local authorities, asserting that sterilization efforts for stray animals fall short when it comes to countering reproduction rates.
Many provinces across the country engage in debates over the issue of stray animals, especially dogs, which occasionally inflict severe injuries on humans. The Parliamentary Petition Commission, meanwhile, scrutinized petitions addressing the surge in the stray animal population, soliciting information from relevant public institutions.
"Ambient measures for controlling the population of homeless animals are administered by local authorities. However, the spaying numbers carried out by local administrations remain markedly below breeding figures," the ministry revealed.
“Additionally, due to the mandatory return of rehabilitated animals to their original neighborhoods, the number of unowned animals on streets cannot be effectively reduced,” the statement appended.
The instruction on stray animals requires stray animals to be collected, taken and transported to rehabilitation centers for spaying/neutering and treatment, and after a period of observation and confirmation of their regained health status, they are released back to their previous locations,
The Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry also reported that within the last five years, more than 1.3 million animals have been sterilized, 2.7 million have been vaccinated and rehabilitated, and 274,940 have been adopted in the country.
Providing details regarding registered street dogs, the ministry revealed that in Istanbul alone, nearly 129,000 dogs continue their lives on the streets. The figures stand at 450,000 for the western province of Izmir and 90,000 for the capital Ankara.
In an effort to incentivize adoption, the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye put forth suggestions such as offering monthly cash support to adopters, assigning one animal to each school to foster interactions between students and animals, and encouraging businesses to prepare pet food from surplus meals and canned fruits and vegetables in wholesale shopping zones and marketplaces.
