Municipality confirms dog massacre in Niğde

The law prepared by the AKP and passed by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), which paves the way for the culling of stray dogs (Law No. 7527 on Amendments to the Animal Protection Law), is leading to reports of brutality from all corners of the country. One of these was the footage from Niğde that shook social media yesterday.

In Niğde, lawyers revealed striking allegations with the footage they shared.

It was alleged that at the Niğde Municipality's temporary animal shelter, dogs were being euthanized by injection and buried in mass graves. In its statement, Niğde Municipality confirmed the allegations that dogs were euthanized by injection and buried in mass graves, while claiming that this procedure was only applied to those that died of natural causes or had infections.

The lawyers who filmed the mass graves and the dog carcasses demanded that the animal cemetery in the Niğkum region of Niğde be opened and that the causes of the dogs' deaths be investigated.

In the shared footage, it was noted that lime was poured over the dogs, the tails of some dogs were visible from the mass graves, and empty, blood-stained boxes were found in the vicinity.

EYEWITNESSES: THEY DIDN'T EVEN WAIT FOR THE LAW

The lawyers filed a criminal complaint against the Municipality's Veterinary Affairs Manager, T.B., and two employees alleged to have carried out the procedure. The criminal complaint emphasized that the Niğde Municipality's temporary animal shelter was unlicensed. Pointing out that medical interventions are prohibited in unlicensed shelters, it was requested that the shelter's license be questioned. Furthermore, it was requested that a necropsy be performed to determine the cause of death of the dogs and that a confidentiality order be issued to prevent the destruction of evidence.

On the other hand, according to witness statements, it was stated that the dogs had begun to be euthanized even before the law came to Parliament, and that this process had been ongoing for approximately 7 months.

Volunteers who make regular visits to the Niğkum region suggested that the dogs might have suffered before the injection. The empty, blood-stained boxes in the footage and the conditions around the cemetery indicated that the animals might have been subjected to mistreatment.

'ONLY 2 DOGS LEFT IN THE SHELTER'

Ankara Bar Association Animal Rights Commission Chair Lawyer Tuğba Gürsoy wrote the following about the incident on her social media account:

"This dog, which the volunteers were looking after in Niğde, goes missing, and then they find the dog thrown into a mass grave. New animals are constantly being thrown into mass graves. Enter the shelter; it has a fancy, incredible showcase; the number of animals does not exceed 20, but the graves are packed full. We asked how many restricted breeds there were last year; they said 60. We toured the shelter yesterday; only 2 were left. Moreover, they said they hadn't started collecting yet. There are no cats or dogs left on the streets. This is not a 3-5 day job! We demand that all graves be opened and that the approximate dates and causes of death be determined."

MAYOR ALSO FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST THOSE WHO RECORDED

Making a statement on its official social media account regarding the allegations, Niğde Municipality confirmed the news in its statement and wrote the following:

"Regarding the news circulating under our Municipality's name today;

The place that is the subject of the news is the animal cemetery allocated to Niğde Municipality in accordance with Law No. 5199...

- It is an area created for animals that die of natural causes during the day,

- Die in traffic accidents,

- Or carry zoonotic agents.

In order not to risk public health, the procedures carried out by liming are entirely in accordance with the law and conscience..."

Niğde Mayor Emrah Özdemir, on the other hand, participated in a live broadcast on Ekol TV and stated that they had filed a criminal complaint against those who filmed the footage. Özdemir's remarks during the broadcast were as follows:

"We did not make an official statement because some people are doing this consciously; they want to be on the agenda. I even hesitated while connecting today. Because we do not want such people who have psychological problems or different agendas to be on the agenda. As Niğde Municipality, we have the best rehabilitation center in the region. We just had a very large operating room built, we are receiving consultancy, and we are facilitating adoptions. But we condemn those who do these things for different purposes."