The news article titled “Hundar utrotas – efter Erdogans order” published in Aftonbladet on February 2, 2022, based on the English Daily Mirror’s news article, contains inaccurate information about the treatment of stray dogs in Türkiye.

President Erdoğan, following the pitbull attack of a four-year-old child in Gaziantep, Türkiye, instructed the Turkish authorities once again to make necessary arrangements to ensure that stray dogs are taken care in animal shelters, with a view to preventing the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change thus issued a specific regulation on 27 December 2021 to be implemented in 81 provinces of Türkiye.

Türkiye’s practice on the protection of animal rights and the legislation on the issue is very robust. The Turkish Parliament thus adopted on July 9, 2021 an updated and comprehensive law on the further protection of the animals. The law, among others, stipulates the establishment of animal shelters by municipalities in cooperation with voluntary institutions as well.

According to the new law, which lays out specific sentences for wide-ranging crimes, killing an animal will incur the punishment of imprisonment from six months to four years, while animal torturers will face six months to three years.

What Turkish authorities aim is simply moving stray dogs in cities to municipal animal shelters, similar to the practice in many other countries. It is not possible to see any stray dogs in Sweden either.

The ongoing process aims to provide shelter for stray dogs in better conditions, which will also eliminate the threat to public health.