PART THREE
Management of Animal Welfare
CHAPTER ONE
The Organisation, Duties and Responsibilities of Local Animal Welfare Committees
Provincial Animal Welfare Committee
ARTICLE 15 – A provincial animal welfare committee will be convened in each province with the Governor as chairperson and for the sole purpose of protecting animals and addressing existing problems and their solutions.
These meetings will be attended by;
a) In metropolitan municipalities, the metropolitan mayor and the mayors of the districts that come under the metropolitan, and in provinces which are not metropolitans, the mayors,
b) Provincial environmental and forestry manager
c) Provincial agricultural manager,
d) Provincial health manager,
e) Provincial education manager,
f) Provincial mufti,
g) Municipal Manager of Veterinary Services,
h) A faculty representative in places where there are veterinary faculties,
ı) At most two representatives of voluntary organisations operating exclusively for the protection of animals and selected with the approval of the Governor.
j) A representative of the provincial or regional chamber of veterinary doctor.
Where deemed necessary by the Committee Chairperson, representatives from other organisations and institutions related to the subject may be requested to attend.
The provincial environment and forestry manager will act as the secretary of the provincial animal welfare committee. As a result of its efforts the committee will notify the Ministry of its main policies, strategy, implementations and opinions. If there is an organisation in a province which does not have a representative, the animal welfare committee will consist of the other members. The committee will meet at the invitation of the committee chairperson.
The working principles and procedures of the provincial animal welfare committee will be determined by a regulation issued by the Ministry.
Duties of the provincial animal welfare committee
ARTICLE 16 – Animal welfare committees, with the exclusive aim of protecting animals, identifying problems and taking decisions for their solution, and keeping in mind the decisions of the Central Hunting Commission relating to the protection of hunting and wild animals and their habitats and the organisation of hunting, are assigned and authorised;
a) To fulfil the duties indicated in this Law as the legal representative of animals for their protection and during their use,
b) To determine the problems relating to the protection of animals within provincial borders, to devise annual, five year and ten year plans and projects including proposed solutions to animal welfare issues, to prepare annual target reports and submit them for approval by the Ministry, to take all types of measures with the aim of protecting animals, with the approval of the Ministry,
c) To ensure the practical application of the programme prepared by it and to inform the Ministry of its results,
d) To supervise, direct and provide the necessary coordination for the animal welfare activities of various persons, organisations and institutions at a provincial level,
e) To support, develop and take the necessary precautions relating to the animal shelters and animal hospitals to be established in the province,
f) To evaluate the applications of local animal welfare volunteers,
g) To organise educational activities relating to the care, protection and sustenance of animals,
j) To fulfil all duties assigned to it under legislation issued according to this Law.
CHAPTER TWO
Supervision and Animal Welfare Volunteers
Supervision
ARTICLE 17 – The Ministry is authorised to monitor whether the provisions of this Law are being complied with or not. Where necessary, the Ministry may assign this authority to the highest local authority via a transfer of authority.
The qualities of supervisory staff and the principles and procedures relating to supervision, the establishment of a registration and monitoring system, reporting obligations and who will report will be determined by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry.
Local authorities are obliged to make arrangements for the registration of domestic pets and ownerless animals.
Responsibilities of local animal welfare officers
ARTICLE 18 – The title local animal welfare officer will be given to volunteers who undertake responsibility for the survival of ownerless animals, in particular cats and dogs, in the environment, areas or neighbourhoods where they are found. These officers will be selected each year by the provincial animal welfare committee from among the members of animal welfare associations and foundations or persons who have provided beneficial services in this area. Local animal welfare officers must carry their documents with them while on duty and these documents must be renewed each year. The documents of persons who are found to have been involved in negative activities will be cancelled. The principles and procedures relating to the duties and responsibilities of local animal officers, the documents to be provided to them, the cancellation of these documents and the training to be given will be determined by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry.
Local animal welfare officers will carry out all their activities relating to ownerless animals in the region or neighbourhood, in particular dogs and cats, in coordination with the local authorities, to include their care, vaccination, the branding of vaccinated animals and the keeping of related records, sterilisation, the retraining of aggressive animals and their relocation to animal shelters established by the local authorities in order to be claimed by owners.
