Nevşin Mengü reacts to Mansur Yavaş's comments on stray animals: 'He's repeating rehearsed talking points...'

Journalist Nevşin Mengü has reacted to comments made by Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş regarding stray dogs. Sharing a video of Yavaş on her X account, Mengü stated, "Mansur Yavaş is repeating rehearsed talking points. On what basis does he argue that a problem he cannot solve through spaying/neutering will be solved through constant slaughter? The municipality's shelter in Ankara is in a terrible state."

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A new draft law on animal rights has been prepared as part of an initiative launched under the instruction of AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

According to the proposal, efforts will first be made to find homes for stray animals. A 30-day waiting period will be observed for this purpose. Dogs that are not adopted within this timeframe will be euthanized.

As public debate continues regarding the draft law, a speech delivered by Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Mansur Yavaş in recent months has resurfaced on social media.

Stating that there are no stray animals on the streets anywhere in Europe, Yavaş had used the following expressions:

"THERE ARE NO STRAY ANIMALS ON THE STREETS ANYWHERE IN EUROPE"

"I have not seen a single stray animal on the streets anywhere in Europe. It doesn't exist anywhere in Europe. I want animal lovers to come and look after the shelters we have built, provided that we cover the costs. Because animal lovers also have demands for boutique shelters.

I respect the opinions of animal lovers, but the population has increased so much. We are the first municipality in Turkey to open a spaying/neutering tender outside of our own resources. When females are spayed, they need to stay for a week.

"THERE IS NO WAY TO PREVENT THIS JUST BY SPAYING"

In this population, there is no way to prevent this just by spaying/neutering. No matter how much you spay, it seems that at this stage, it cannot be stopped. On one hand, we will continue with that, and on the other, we will take those on the street and host them in the shelter.

There are no stray animals on the streets abroad. If they want it so much... True animal lovers must also take responsibility. We will support them, let them adopt."

NEVŞİN MENGÜ'S REACTION TO YAVAŞ

Yavaş's statements have returned to the spotlight. Journalist Nevşin Mengü reacted to Yavaş's words. 

Sharing the video of Yavaş's aforementioned speech on her X account, Mengü stated, "Mansur Yavaş is repeating rehearsed talking points. Does he think animal rights advocates don't adopt animals? On what basis does he argue that a problem he cannot solve through spaying/neutering will be solved through constant slaughter? The municipality's shelter in Ankara is in a terrible state. Is it an achievement to torment animals with filth and hunger? There are many NGOs in Ankara working on this issue; he could easily get help and gain a lot of information."