08.03.2025 20:30
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, following the incident in which a stray street dog killed a 2-year-old child in Konya, addressed municipalities, stating, "Either they will take care of this issue, or I will use all the legal authority granted to me by the law to the fullest extent."
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya addressed municipalities regarding the issue of stray animals, stating, "Either they will do this job, or I will use all the legal powers granted to me by law to the fullest extent."
Following the death of 2-year-old Rana, who was killed by stray street dogs in Konya, a stern message came from Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya to the municipalities.
STERN WARNING TO MUNICIPALITIES
In his statement, Yerlikaya said, "Either they will do this job, or I will use all the legal powers granted to me by law to the fullest extent so that no 2-year-old child like Rana will have to enter the grave in the spring of their life again."
"WE CANNOT ACCEPT THIS"
In his speech, Yerlikaya stated, "Yesterday, a painful incident occurred in my hometown Konya that hurt all of us. A 2-year-old child named Rana, who was attacked by stray dogs in the Başak neighborhood of the Karatay district, unfortunately could not be saved. This is an indescribable great pain. I pray for our child, and I extend my condolences to her family and loved ones. With all the necessary laws in place by 2025, we cannot accept the brutal murder of a 2-year-old baby by stray dogs," he said.
Yerlikaya also mentioned, "Last night, I gave instructions to all my governors. This morning, our colleagues have been working on this at the ministry. What we want to do now is to determine the number of animals in all shelters across provinces with a commission that will be established. Counts will be conducted regularly, but I will share the findings of that commission with my esteemed nation as your Interior Minister once a month," he stated.
"COUNTING WILL BE DONE EVERY MONTH IN ANIMAL SHELTERS"
Stating that his intentions are clear and straightforward, Yerlikaya said, "The law is the law, and thank God we are a rule of law state. Our esteemed Parliament listened to the voices from our nation regarding this issue and enacted a law. A new process has been initiated regarding stray animals in existing shelters and newly constructed shelters, but dear friends, what we have heard and our findings so far indicate that while some are doing this job properly, unfortunately, some are not fulfilling their duties adequately.
Let’s not deceive each other; let’s speak openly. The established commission will work exactly as follows: We will check whether the number has increased, remained the same, or decreased each month. We will share these findings. Is there an effort regarding the construction of new shelters? Yes, there is. I will share those with the public every month, and if there is someone responsible, I have spoken with our governor by phone, we encouraged and increased this work, but I did not get results. Then we will take the necessary actions together with the inspectors," he concluded.