NEWS AND OPINION: in my view, Turkey has, in general, a good relationship with domestic animals thanks to the fact that the large majority are Muslims and the Muslim faith by and large is sensitive to animal welfare but the trouble is that dogs are perceived by this faith nowadays as being dirty and their status has declined.
But in history, dogs were well treated in Turkey. They have been cared for by communities since Ottoman times. In the early Ottoman era, animals were cherished and protected. This is thanks to an Islamic hadith, a kind of guide laying down a moral code in verse, which commanded that animals should be well treated. In that era, houses were often built with bird boxes in the eaves and water bowls at the door in an act of animal welfare sensitivity.
It’s true that laws against animal abuse and promoting animal welfare were passed in the 16th century in Turkey (see end of article). And in the 17th century, Sultan Ahmed I decreed that excess food from the home should be left up animals.
And further, the world’s first animal Hospital was opened in Bursa, north-west Turkey in the 19th century (see below). This was a great time for animal welfare in the country but there emerged a gradual shift in culture and opinion with a change in political attitudes and in the late Ottoman era there was a modernisation drive which led to roundups and in 1910 about 80,000 dogs were removed from the streets of Istanbul and dumped as an island where they start to death.
And unfortunately, it is regrettable to report that Turkish society is guilty of speciesism, I would argue, due to the sayings and preachings of the Koran or hadiths. This is because cats are still tolerated and I’m talking about stray cats. A pregnant stray cat will be allowed into a mosque to give birth in their den within the mosque. You will frequently see Imam’s leading prayers with cats joining the congregation and sometimes climbing over the Imam!
There is a great tolerance for domestic, stray and community cats but now, with this new law, a distinct intolerance for stray and community dogs.
They are viewed as dirty and dangerous by many people. However, there is a counter culture among animal advocates who argue that the problem is caused by people which makes it morally reprehensible to round them up and euthanise them if they are deemed to be aggressive or ill.
There have been protests against this new law brought in under President Erdogan’s conservative ruling party. There is a big dispute in society about this law between those who consider street dogs dangerous and dirty and those who consider street dogs to be part of the country’s history and culture.
The law had a long period of maturation through debate within Parliament and many supporters of the law argue that they have been attacked by dogs. Animal advocates would say that if a person has been attacked by a dog it is either the person’s fault for attacking the dog or for allowing the dog to become starved and forced to live in intolerable conditions.
Dogs that are cared for within the community are normally passive, it is claimed. And there are many stray dogs in Turkey with an estimated 4 million, some born on the street and some abandoned their by their owners.
There are often cared for by local volunteers who feed them and pay veterinary bills but by a large community cats and dogs do not receive veterinary care in my view.
Municipalities within Turkey are obliged to sterilise street animals. An estimated 2.5 million dogs have been sterilised over the past 20 years. But that of course leaves many who are unsterilised which leads to procreation and more stray dogs.
Turkey does operate a TNR program regarding dogs meaning that they are trapped, sterilised and given, I hope, basic veterinary treatment and then released back to where they came from. They are then cared for in the community.
Some dogs become celebrities such as Boji. He rose to fame after he was pictured riding the city’s public transport. A tracker fitted to him indicated that he was travelling 25 miles a day on public transport and even a ferry across the Bosphorus. He acquired many fans as a result.
But he was controversial because some claimed that he was defecating on trains but this allegation was never substantiated. Eventually was adopted by a leading businessmen, Omer Koc.
The new law requires that municipalities must round up and house all street dogs in shelters. As mentioned, any showing signs of aggression or infectious disease must be euthanised. If an owner cannot be found, The Times reports that the dog will be euthanised. There will be a lot of killing. It is almost certain that a high percentage of these dogs will carry an infectious disease of some sort.
Activists insist that they will fight against this new regulation and they won’t stop. They want to overturn the law and they will block any attempts to round up the dogs. They argue that they will never allow the authorities to take away their animals.
Comment: I think Turkey needs to address an acute case of speciesism. It is wickedly unfair to treat cats so well and dogs are badly. They must get that right by improving dog welfare. And people need to address the fact that all dog problems, all bad dog behaviour, is ultimately down to human behaviour, policies and culture. The buck starts and stops at human behaviour; always.
16th century animal welfare in Turkey
Historical sources indicate that animal welfare was a concern in the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. The Kanunnâme-i Sultan Selim Hān, a legal code issued in the early 16th century, included regulations regarding the treatment of animals, such as ensuring that their saddles were properly fitted and their loads were not excessive. While these regulations may not have been as comprehensive as modern animal welfare laws, they demonstrate a recognition of the need to protect animals and prevent cruelty.
World’s first animal hospital
The world’s first animal hospital was opened in Bursa, Turkey. It was called Gurabahane-i Laklakan, which translates to “Stork’s Doss-House.” This remarkable institution was established in the 19th century during the Ottoman Empire to care for injured migratory birds, especially storks. It’s a testament to the Ottoman Empire’s advanced thinking and compassion towards animals, centuries before many other parts of the world began to prioritize animal welfare.
Sources for the immediate above: mpdi.com. “Be Gentle to Them: Animal Welfare and the Protection of Draft Animals in the Ottoman Fatwā Literature and Legislation.” And trtworld.com. “An Ottoman-era hospital for storks in Bursa still cares for animals”.
