The horror of stray dogs in our country is endless. Finally, 10-year-old Mahra, who was run away from the dogs in Antalya, lost her 23-day battle for life. The stray dog problem affects everyone's life, from big cities to rural life.
Mahra Melin (10), who was injured under the truck while escaping from the dogs in Antalya and whose right leg was amputated above the knee, passed away on the 23rd day of her treatment. On March 5, Mahra Melin Pınar was attacked by stray dogs roaming the roadside area while she was walking on the sidewalk in Belek Neighborhood of Serik district. While trying to escape, Mahra was hit by a truck, and Mahra was injured, with her right leg under the front wheel of the truck. Mahra Melin Pınar died on the 23rd day of her treatment at Antalya Training and Research Hospital.
DOG ATTACKS INCREASE
Stray dogs and wild breed dogs suddenly became the subject of discussion on the agenda of Turkey on December 22, 2021. That evening, a 4-year-old girl in Gaziantep was attacked by a pitbull in the site where they were sitting and was seriously injured. This problem, which has been voiced by the silent crowds in the public for a while, has now received a reaction from the public. For example, on Friday, January 21, with the hashtag #KöpekTehlikesi (Dog Danger), it entered the top of Turkey's agenda with approximately 40,000 entries on Twitter. In recent years, the increasing number of stray dog attacks in parks, coastlines and some districts with low settlements have brought citizens and animal lovers face to face.
THE PROBLEM HAS ENTERED THE AGENDA OF EVEN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
The British Ministry of Foreign Affairs added the "Attack of Stray Dogs" to the warnings it issued for its citizens who will travel to Turkey in 2019. It advised them not to go jogging in deserted places, especially in forests and beaches. The US (United States) Department of State has taken a decision not to allow animals in Turkey to be brought into the US due to the high risk of rabies. Why is it not on the agenda enough in Turkey even though this problem is now even covered and talked about by the foreign press? Why are politicians, municipalities and governorships silent about the stray dog problem, which causes dozens of attacks, accidents and even deaths every week?
PEOPLE IN RURAL AREAS ALSO VICTIM
In Turkey, unlike many Western countries, a law "without measures such as catching, culling, collecting" was enacted and the Animal Protection Law No. 5199 was adopted in 2004. Following this law, the Implementing Regulation on the Protection of Animals was issued in 2006. According to the law, stray dogs cannot be collected from where they are found and in case of any attack, they are taken to be rehabilitated for 15 days and then returned to the place where they were taken. The absence of practices such as catching, culling, collection, the absence of regulations that impose strict rules on animal ownership, the absence of legal barriers for animal owners to leave animals on the street, all kinds of species, the spread of the dog trade due to lack of control including prohibited breeds in petshops etc, many legal and lack of inspection have caused the stray dog population to increase rapidly in Turkey and have made dog attacks unavoidable. Today, people engaged in animal husbandry in rural areas of Turkey, cannot protect their animals like chickens, sheep, goats, etc. from stray dog attacks.
“SUFFICIENT MEASURES CANNOT BE TAKEN”
Criminal sanctions for animal torture were increased in July 2021 as a result of the organized reaction and work of animal rights activists after the news of mass poisoning of dogs spread over social media. However, the issue has always been discussed unilaterally. The reasons behind these poisonings were not discussed. In some areas, people are forced to live with flocks of 20-30 dogs in front of their homes. Despite thousands of complaints sent to municipalities, no action is taken. While the demands of the citizens who are disturbed and harmed by this situation are not taken into account, complaints made to municipalities and other public institutions remain unanswered.
“IN 10 YEARS THERE WILL BE 60,000,000 STRAY DOGS”
Citizens attacked by stray dogs complain that the dogs are not collected even if they apply to the municipalities. On the other hand, the population is increasing rapidly in areas where sterilization is not performed. Added to this is that animal lovers leave their dogs on the streets, the problem has grown rapidly in recent years. For example; According to a news report in 2008, the number of stray dogs in the capital Ankara exceeded 100,000 according to 2008 estimated data; According to 2017 data, it has reached 500,000 in İzmir. Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Özlem Zengin, who played an active role in enacting the animal rights law, had stated in a statement that “there will be 60,000,000 stray dogs in 10 years.”
The main problems caused by stray dogs are;
Attacking or infecting people.
It is severe injuries for reasons such as people with dog phobia jumping on the road while avoiding dogs.
Causing environmental pollution due to reasons such as feces.
Injury, death or damage caused by traffic accidents.
Cause noise at night with the sounds they make.
Increase in costs due to vaccinations made as a result of exposure to rabies and loss of workforce during this period.
Stray dogs are also the worst enemy of other living populations. They slaughter hundreds of cats in the streets and perish sheep, chickens and goats in the countryside.