Animal rights group discusses demands with Istanbul municipality

Istanbul, May 14 () - A group of animal activists met for the first time with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality representatives to present their demands about stray animals and newly constructed animal shelters.

Animal rights groups teamed up an inspection committee consisting of animal medics, animal rights activists and lawyers to prevent possible animal rights violations, which they say may be happening in newly constructed animal shelters. The committee met with municipality officials about the controversial animal shelters, located in Istanbul’s Kısırkaya and Pendik neighborhoods.

The committee demanded that the municipality close these animal shelters, which they defined as uncontrolled and uninspected “concentration camps” where crimes against natural and urban life also threaten human life.

The animal rights’ committee underlined the need to see animal rights as a major issue, adding that a “fancy” shelter would not be helpful unless the animals were treated well and that shelter employees believed that animals have the same rights as humans.

The idea that animals, starting from birth, have the same natural rights as humans topped the agenda of the meeting, while the demand to stop using animals as a commodity was also discussed. The committee members demanded that the animal shelters be convenient to properly meet the needs of the animals and be regularly inspected to prevent animal rights violations.

The Istanbul Bar Association Animal Rights Commission President Hülya Yalçın and the Animal Rights Protection Association’s Elif Narin were in the committee, while the officials of the municipality consisted of Food and Stock Farming Directorate’s head Bayram Ali Çakıroğlu, the manager for the Medical Services for Animals Muhammed Nuri Coşkun and his deputy Mahmut Eker.