Turkish Parliament to address stray dog compensation, euthanasia issues

The Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Agriculture Committee plans to continue discussions tomorrow on a proposed law regarding stray dogs, aiming to resolve uncertainties in compensation claims by victims.

Previously, municipalities and governorships often passed responsibility for compensation claims from stray dog attacks between themselves, resulting in a lack of outcomes in lawsuits. However, recent court cases have started to hold municipalities accountable.

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) legal expert and Istanbul MP Adem Yildirim stated that the new law would designate municipalities and provincial special administrations as responsible for damage caused by stray dogs. Yildirim noted, “If a person mistreats or kills a stray animal, they face imprisonment from one to four years. Yet, if a stray dog attacks or kills someone, no one is held accountable due to the dog’s lack of owner.

Meanwhile, if a car hits a cow on the road, the cow’s owner pays for the damages. Thus, provincial special administrations and municipalities should cover the damages caused by stray animals. If there are strays on the street, we will consider provincial special administrations and municipalities as their owners.”

Sterilization no solution

The opposition’s objections to the proposed “euthanasia” measure are supported by the example of India, which shows that the “Catch-Neuter-Release” method is ineffective. The justification for the proposal states, “In England, France, and some U.S. states, the ‘Catch-Neuter-Hold-Euthanasia Model’ is applied. In England, animals not adopted within seven days, in France within eight days, and in certain U.S. states within a designated period are euthanized. In contrast, India, with its population of 60 million stray dogs, reports 36% of global rabies deaths, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of the ‘Catch-Neuter-Release’ method.”

Euthanasia in historical context

The proposal’s justification also references historical examples, noting that in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, stray animals were euthanized. It highlights that many countries use euthanasia to control animal populations. In Turkiye, a decree published in the Official Gazette on June 13, 1932, required the euthanasia of all strays, forbade the abandonment of owned dogs, and mandated that they be walked with muzzles and leashes. Additionally, the 2003 European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, to which Turkiye is a party, allows for euthanasia to reduce the number of stray dogs if deemed necessary without further justification.