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Outrage Over Turkey Plan To Put Down Stray Dogs

State media reported that under the law, state municipalities would be responsible for rounding up stray dogs, shelter them for around 30 days, and if the animals are not adopted in that time, euthanise them.
Edited By
Ramananda Sengupta
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Outrage over Turkey plan to kill dogs

ANKARA: Turkish police scuffled with protesters in the capital Ankara on Friday during a demonstration against plans to round up millions of stray dogs.

The plan, presented to parliament by President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party earlier this month, has alarmed animal lovers who say a mass neutering campaign would be a better solution than locking dogs up in shelters.

Police pushed back the protesters as they tried to gather in the city centre, leading to scuffles.

The demonstrators held banners reading, “You cannot round them up, you cannot jail them, you cannot kill them” and “Take back the law”.

“People here are those taking care of many animals. What is this grudge? Do you want the dogs and cats on the street to be killed?” one protester said through a megaphone.

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State media reported that under the law, state municipalities would be responsible for rounding up strays, shelter them for around 30 days, and if the animals are not adopted in that time, euthanise them. Aggressive dogs or any with untreatable diseases would also be put down.

The population of street dogs in Turkey is estimated to be 4 million, and 2.5 million dogs have been neutered in the past 20 years by municipalities, according to the draft bill.


There are currently 322 animal shelters with a capacity to host a total of 105,000 canines, the bill says.
(REUTERS)

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Ramananda Sengupta
In a career spanning over three decades and counting, I’ve been the Foreign Editor of The Telegraph, Outlook Magazine and The New Indian Express. I helped set up rediff.com’s editorial operations in San Jose and New York, helmed sify.com, and was the founder editor of India.com.

My work has featured in national and international publications like the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Global Times and The Asahi Shimbun. My one constant over all these years, however, has been the attempt to understand rising India’s place in the world.

On demand, I can rustle up a mean salad, my oil-less pepper chicken is to die for, and depending on the time of the day, all it takes to rock my soul is some beer and some jazz or good ole rhythm & blues.

Talk to me about foreign and strategic affairs, media, South Asia, China, and of course India.
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