Türkiye has collected around 75 percent of its stray animals as part of a nationwide campaign launched following the enactment of recent legal regulations, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi has said.
Speaking to state broadcaster TRT Haber, Çiftçi stated that collection efforts have been fully completed in 51 of the country’s 81 provinces governed by special provincial administrations, while the rate has reached 64 percent in the country’s 30 metropolitan municipalities.
“Taken together, approximately three out of every four stray animals have now been collected,” he said, adding that the animals have either been placed in shelters or transferred to designated natural living areas.
Türkiye adopted the new Animal Protection Law in July 2024. The legislation replaced the long-standing “catch-neuter-release” system with a mandatory sheltering policy.
Under the law, municipalities are required to collect stray animals, neuter them and keep them in shelters until they are adopted.
Local authorities are also mandated to build or expand animal shelters by Dec. 31, 2028. However, officials emphasize that the obligation to collect and house stray animals is already in force and cannot be delayed.
Çiftçi said the policy serves two main purposes: Improving public safety and protecting animals from harsh street conditions.
“Stray animals often struggle to find food and lack access to medical care when they fall ill,” he said. “This regulation ensures they are taken off the streets and cared for in controlled environments where municipalities can provide treatment, vaccinations, nutrition and adoption services.”
The minister cited a 2024 incident in the eastern province of Erzurum, where a child was severely injured in a stray dog attack, as a turning point in accelerating the campaign.
He recalled that the child, aged around 9 or 10, suffered extensive injuries and required 100 stitches following the attack by multiple dogs.
“No parent would want to see their child in such a condition,” he said, arguing that such cases demonstrate the necessity of the new measures.
