Turkey bans acquisition of fighting dogs
In Turkey, the acquisition, breeding, and trading of fighting dogs is prohibited. Owners are required to have their animals sterilised.
Owners are also required to have their animals sterilised. Many are therefore surrendered to shelters.
In Turkey, a controversial regulation on the keeping of pit bulls and other fighting dogs has caused outrage and indignation among animal welfare advocates. Numerous people have reportedly abandoned their dogs or brought them to shelters, where the animals would have to remain for the rest of their lives. This was stated by the chairman of the animal rights organisation Haykurder, Erman Pacali, to the German Press Agency.
He also criticised the conditions in the shelters as very poor. The dogs quickly contract infections there, have a low life expectancy, and due to the legal situation have no chance of being rehomed.
Animal welfare advocates: shelters like prisons
Zuhal Arslan, a representative of the animal welfare organisation Haytap, echoed the criticism: “This is an act of extreme cruelty. The conditions there are absolutely unsuitable for these animals to spend their lives in.” She added that the capacity of the shelters is insufficient and that they are like prisons.
The acquisition, breeding, and trading of fighting dogs has been banned in Turkey since last summer. Owners who already kept such animals were required to have them sterilised and registered by 14 January. Failure to comply carries the risk of heavy fines.
Sterilisation too expensive for many owners
The regulation was extended once more in December. Since then, the breeds classified as fighting dogs include: American Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Staffordshire Terrier, and American Bully.
In Istanbul alone, more than 70 fighting dogs were surrendered to shelters within one month as a result of the regulation, said Pacali. Numerous animals are also being abandoned in forests. Animal welfare advocates cite fear of penalties and the cost of sterilisation — approximately 300 euros — which many owners cannot or are unwilling to pay.
The topic of fighting dogs had come back into focus in Turkey after a four-year-old girl was bitten and seriously injured by two pit bulls in December. Further information on animal welfare can be found in the dossiers of Wild beim Wild.
