Over 400 cats and dogs rescued after the Feb.6 deadly earthquakes are being treated at animal shelters by veterinarians from all over the country in Kahramanmaraş.
Veterinary volunteer Sevgi Eser shared the details of animals who were rescued from the wreckage. "Some of the animals have been adopted, while some are still receiving treatment. There was a cat who gave birth to three kittens who were later adopted by Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu's wife, Hamdiye Soylu," she shared.
Besides the metropolitan teams, the cats and dogs that are voluntarily treated by veterinarians from different regions of Türkiye, with the organization of the Turkish Veterinary Doctors Association, are being transferred to other cities where they can be safe and recover.
Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality veterinarian Yakup Bilal said that since the first day of the earthquake, they have been working on stray animals in the animal shelter in coordination with the Kocaeli governor's office.
Explaining that he voluntarily supported the veterinarians assigned through the Turkish Veterinary Association, Bilal said: "Our veterinarians from veterinary clinics from all over Türkiye sent medicine, medical supplies, everything they could use here. Meanwhile, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) provincial directorates, governorships and nongovernmental organizations keep sending us animal food. We have established our shelter as the epicenter to provide veterinary support to all districts of Kahramanmaraş."
Our teams are constantly in the field. We are treating our injured animals immediately, he added.
"These animals in our shelter who were left under the rubble also suffer uneasiness, anxiety and fear just like humans. We are trying to overcome them by treating them and settling them with families," he pointed out.
Efforts to find families to adopt the animals were immediately launched after the earthquake. Eser said: "There are cats and dogs recovered from the disaster wreckage and injured. We treat them and transfer them to different cities. During this time, the owners of cats and dogs also come. We complete our investigations and then handover them over to their owners, or reach the families via the system," she told.
We were delighted to receive such love for the animals from all parts of the country, Eser concluded.
At least 43,556 people were killed by two powerful earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye on Feb. 6. Tens of thousands of others were injured, and millions were displaced.
