30.07.2024 07:30
The stray dog regulation, with all its articles, has been approved and enacted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. According to the regulation, stray dogs will be collected and taken to shelters, where they will be neutered and then adopted. It will be decided by a veterinarian whether euthanasia should be performed on dogs in shelters that pose a danger to human and animal lives and have contagious diseases. Municipal officials who fail to fulfill their obligations may be sentenced to up to 2 years in prison.
The Law Proposal Amending the Animal Protection Law, which includes regulations for stray animals, has been approved and enacted in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. With this law, changes will be made to the Animal Protection Law, and the phrase "with consideration for human, animal, and environmental health" will be added to the objectives of the law.
In the work to be carried out regarding stray animals, it will be mandatory to register cats and dogs in the database of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry under the Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law in order for them to be considered as owned animals. Therefore, the concepts of "owned animal" and "stray animal" will be clearly defined. In order to avoid any doubts in practice and due to the removal of the "catch-neuter-release" method in the Law, a change in conformity will be made in the definition of animal shelter. The definition of animal shelter will be changed to "a facility established with permission from the Ministry and where animals are housed and rehabilitated until they are adopted."
Due to the collection of stray and weak animals and their rehabilitation and care until they are adopted in animal shelters, it will be accepted that taking care of an animal outside of the shelter by assuming its legal responsibility and adopting it will be possible. The statement "Pet animals have the freedom to live in conditions specific to their species. Stray animals should also be supported in their lives, just like owned animals." will be repealed from the law.
Support and coordination will be based on real and legal persons who want to adopt stray and weak animals solely out of humane and moral responsibilities and who meet the conditions specified in the law. Local governments will establish animal shelters in collaboration with voluntary organizations to take care of stray animals until they are adopted, provide their care and treatment, and carry out educational activities. Rehabilitated dogs from animal shelters will be kept in these places until they are adopted. Animals taken to animal shelters will be registered in the data system of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for accurate and up-to-date information.
INCENTIVES AND ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES
In cases where dogs taken to shelters pose a danger to human and animal life and health, have uncontrollable negative behaviors, have contagious or untreatable diseases, or are prohibited from adoption, the provisions of Article 9 of the Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law, which states "Euthanasia of animals is prohibited. However, euthanasia of animals may be decided by a veterinarian in cases of diseases that cause pain and suffering to animals or have no chance of recovery, in order to prevent an acute contagious animal disease or in situations that pose a risk to human health, where their behaviors pose a danger to human and animal life and health. Euthanasia is performed by a veterinarian or under the supervision of a veterinarian." will be applied.
Local governments will be authorized to take necessary administrative measures regarding stray dogs within the scope of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. Intervention on animals will be allowed not only for medical reasons but also in other exceptional cases specified in the law. The acts of "abandoning stray animals collected on behalf of local governments or leaving a dog housed in an animal shelter outside of the shelter" will be included in the scope of the ban. Thus, the implementation of the provisions regarding the collection of stray animals, taking them to animal shelters, and the fulfillment of the duties and responsibilities of local governments will be ensured.
Among the duties of the Provincial Animal Protection Board, determining the problems caused by stray animals in terms of human, animal, and environmental health, in addition to the work carried out for the protection of stray animals, and producing solution proposals for these problems will be added. With the regulation, the scope of support to be provided to local governments and other relevant institutions and organizations, especially local governments, will be expanded. Accordingly, local governments and other relevant institutions and organizations will be provided with incentives or financial support in amounts deemed appropriate by the Ministry to establish shelters, hospitals, and operating rooms for the protection of human, animal, and environmental health, to procure drugs, tools, and equipment related to them, and to carry out activities such as care, rehabilitation, and adoption in animal shelters.
FUNDS CANNOT BE USED FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE
It will be prohibited for individuals who act contrary to the provisions for the protection of animals, seriously neglect the care of their adopted animals, or cause pain, suffering, or harm to them to keep animals, and their animals will be confiscated by the competent authority through inspections. Adoptable animals among these animals will be kept in animal shelters until they are adopted. In order to ensure deterrence, the administrative fine for the offense of abandoning a pet by its owner per animal will be increased from 2,000 Turkish liras to 60,000 Turkish liras. Those who abandon stray animals collected on behalf of local governments outside of an animal shelter or leave an animal housed in an animal shelter outside of the shelter will be subject to an administrative fine of 50,000 Turkish liras per animal.
With the law, the provision regarding "local animal protection officers" in the Animal Protection Law has been repealed since the aim is to prevent the existence of stray animals in the streets. Metropolitan municipalities, provincial municipalities, and municipalities with a population exceeding 25,000 will establish animal shelters for the protection and care of stray or weak animals or those posing a danger, as well as for their rehabilitation until they are adopted. The mentioned animals will be taken to the animal shelter by the relevant municipalities. Municipalities without the obligation to establish animal shelters and provincial special administrations will take these animals to the nearest animal shelter in their jurisdiction. Mayors and council members who do not allocate the specified resources for establishing animal shelters, rehabilitating stray animals, or taking care of them until they are adopted, or who use these resources for other purposes will be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 6 months to 2 years. The mentioned municipalities will be obliged to establish the specified animal shelters and improve the conditions of the existing shelters by December 31, 2028.
"THERE IS NO KILLING IN THIS LAW, THERE IS OWNERSHIP"
Municipalities will allocate resources in the amount of 0.5% of their latest budget revenues until December 31, 2028, to establish animal shelters, carry out rehabilitation procedures, and take care of stray animals until they are adopted. This rate will be applied as 0.3% in metropolitan municipalities. 40% of the expenditures made by municipalities above these rates will be transferred to the municipality by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. The transferred amount cannot exceed 40% of the rates mentioned in the article. The allocated funds cannot be used for any other purpose. Cat and dog owners must register their animals through digital identification methods by December 31, 2025. AK Party Group Chairman Abdullah Güler, who spoke during the discussions of the proposal, stated that some members of parliament used the expressions "civilized world" and "scientific opinion". Güler, stating that euthanasia is performed on unadopted animals in the USA and the UK, reported that opposition MPs said "This law is a killing law" and said, "There is no killing in this law, there is ownership, there is encouragement." Güler added; "We have read the reports of the World Health Organization. We have read the reports of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Health. We have listened to academics, artists, animal lovers, victim families, those who lost their children and daughters, under the chairmanship of our Deputy Group Chairman Bahadır Yenişehirlioğlu. We prepared the proposal based on these criteria. I wish the proposal brings good things. We provide strong support to our mayors. Establish shelters. Let's launch a neutering campaign, let's vaccinate. I appeal to your consciences, establish shelters."
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu, and DEM Party Co-Chair Tulay Hatımoğulları Oruç also watched the final part of the discussions on the bill. Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) Celal Adan stated in his speech before the voting of the proposal that the Parliament will go on vacation until October 1. Adan emphasized that many important regulations were made in the Parliament during the 2nd Legislative Year of the 28th Legislative Term and also highlighted that the TBMM has made the voice of the people heard by the international public opinion during this process. After the proposal becomes law, the General Assembly of the TBMM went on vacation. Deputy Speaker of the TBMM Celal Adan closed the session, stating that the next session will be held on Tuesday, October 1 at 15.00.