Turkey’s parliament passed a law on Tuesday to round up millions of stray dogs and place them in shelters, a plan that has alarmed animal lovers who say mass castration would be a better solution.
Under legislation proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, municipalities would have to take strays off the streets and into shelters. All dogs that show aggressive behavior or that have incurable diseases will be euthanized.
Turkey’s street dog population is estimated at four million, according to the bill, and municipalities have neutered around 2.5 million over the past 20 years. The animals are often taken care of by the residents of the neighborhood and treated as pets.
The law also requires all municipalities to spend at least 0.3% of their annual budget on animal rehabilitation services and building shelters.
Municipalities will be given until 2028 to build new shelters and improve current shelters, the law says. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the law, sometimes clashing with the police.
