The Turkish government claims stray dogs are dangerous and wants to have them killed. Animal rights activists are trying to save them.
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00:00Protesters are sounding the alarm, as they've been doing for weeks.
00:07Istanbul animal rights activists like Caner Altay say they want to prevent mass murder,
00:12which is what they've named the Turkish government's plans for the country's many street dogs.
00:17A new government bill envisages the possible euthanasia of stray dogs in Istanbul and elsewhere.
00:24Caner is mobilizing resistance against this.
00:34The reactions are mostly positive.
00:36Everyone knows animals that live on the street in their neighborhood.
00:40And many have also built up relationships with the strays.
00:45Animals like Zeytin.
00:47The stray dog lives on the Asian side of Istanbul and holds a special spot in Caner Altay's
00:53heart.
00:54Caner and the dog basically grew up together.
00:56For the animal rights activists, the government's plans are the result of policy failure.
01:05They don't even know how many stray dogs there are in the country, or how many have already
01:10been successfully sterilized.
01:14Their only solution is to catch the animals and kill them, if they don't find an owner,
01:19within four weeks.
01:21There are probably around two million street dogs in Turkey, a guesstimate.
01:30In Istanbul, they're as much a part of street life as the cats.
01:36The animals are a popular subject for tourist snapshots.
01:41Although dogs are considered unclean by devout Muslims, many still live out peaceful lives
01:46on the streets.
01:48And only a few are aggressive.
01:53But now the government is planning to have dogs from the overcrowded state and municipal
01:58dog shelters offered up for adoption via the internet.
02:03If they don't find new owners, they're to be put down.
02:08And their spots will be filled with the next batch of captured street dogs.
02:13This will be continued until the problem no longer exists.
02:19President Erdogan is unimpressed by the ongoing protests against the proposed law.
02:27The previous method of capturing and sterilizing stray dogs has failed and has not provided
02:33a solution.
02:35We're going to launch a campaign to adopt the animals.
02:39And if we're successful, hopefully, we won't have to move on to the next step.
02:49The next step, that would be killing the unadopted dogs.
02:56Without people like Caner and his friends, many of the megacity's stray animals would
03:00not survive.
03:02The activists distribute food and look after the sick animals.
03:08We've been living with animals in this city for a long time.
03:11We share the urban space with them, just like with our human neighbors.
03:18And just like with humans, we spend time together, chat and support each other.
03:26Sedat Cayorgan sees things differently.
03:29He's part of a citizens' initiative in favor of the planned law.
03:33He believes that stray dogs have become a danger to people throughout the country.
03:42Children are attacked by dogs on their way to school.
03:45There are countless deaths from road accidents caused by these animals.
03:50And they're not just dangerous for people, but for nature, too.
03:54In the forests and nature parks, the dogs attack wolves, foxes and deer.
04:02Such problems can be solved without killing, says Caner Altay.
04:06And he's supported in this by veterinarians like Ünzile Celebi.
04:12The government's plan, she says, is in practice barely feasible.
04:23First of all, there aren't enough suitable animal shelters, nor the necessary veterinarians
04:28for such a plan.
04:30I also can't imagine colleagues taking part in the killings.
04:37So the Turkish government's plan still faces a few problems.
04:41Perhaps Caner Altay and the other animal rights activists will yet be able to stop the law
04:47against street dogs.
04:49And Zeytin the dog can continue to wander the streets of Istanbul in peace.