Report on 'stray animals' presented to Erdoğan by AKP Deputy Group Chairman

In a statement on his social media account, Yenişehirlioğlu said, "Today, at our AK Party Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting, I presented the report we prepared regarding the issue of stray/aggressive street dogs to our President, Mr. Erdoğan, and informed him and our MYK members."

"FIRST HUMANS, THEN ANIMALS"

Yenişehirlioğlu noted the following in his statement:

"I would like to thank our President for his courtesy in listening to the nature of our report in detail.

We have full faith that the peace and security of our beloved nation on the streets will be ensured and that this issue, on which everyone agrees, will be resolved.

Our greatest wish is that this will, which has been put forward to establish the health of first humans, then animals and the environment, reaches a clear solution that meets the expectations of all segments of our society.

I believe that our report will make significant contributions to the resolution of the problem and I wish it to be beneficial."

STATEMENT ALSO CAME FROM AKP GROUP CHAIRMAN GÜLER

AKP Group Chairman Abdullah Güler said regarding the regulation on stray animals, "We will submit our proposal to the Speaker of the Parliament towards the end of this week by meeting with the deputy group chairmen of the opposition parties."

Güler answered journalists' questions in front of the AKP Headquarters regarding the work carried out within the scope of the "regulation on stray animals."

When asked about the latest status of the work, Güler stated that they presented the minutes regarding the work to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the AK Party MYK meeting today.

Stating that they will make the final touches to the regulation, Güler said, "We will submit our proposal to the Speaker of the Parliament towards the end of this week by meeting with the deputy group chairmen of the opposition parties. Our proposal suggests changes to some articles in Law No. 5199. We also have our Veterinary Services Law No. 5996. There is a regulation along with it, and there are references from there as well," he said.

Güler also conveyed his get-well wishes to Abbas Haşmet, a Syrian national who was attacked by stray dogs in Adana.

Saying, "Streets cannot be described as a safe area," Güler said the following:

"We need to take our dogs and animals into more sheltered, safer areas. We need to take them into very high-quality shelters. With the strong support of our ministries, we desire to include in our text a very strong effort regarding increasing the facilities of shelters, serious sterilization, vaccination, and at the same time, adoption."

"WE MUST TAKE THE NECESSARY MEASURES"

Upon a journalist's remark that "the issue the public is most curious about in this study is the euthanasia of harmful animals," Güler reminded that there is Article 9 of the Veterinary Services Law No. 5996.

Pointing out that this law is currently in force, Güler noted the following:

"Article 9 mandates ending the lives of animals that carry the risk of rabies, have become aggressive to the point of being unrehabilitatable, harm other animals in shelters, and have no possibility of remaining in the shelter due to the risk of disease, through euthanasia. So, this law already exists.

While we take our animals from the streets to shelters and provide strong support for sterilization, adoption, and vaccination, there will be no possibility of them remaining in shelters.

We see that animals of very different breeds, which carry a serious health risk from animal to animal and from animal to human, and which can no longer be rehabilitated, harm other animals in shelters. At the same time, there is a very important risk of rabies...

Therefore, we need to take this into account as well. We must take the necessary measures to increase the quality of life in shelters. One of those measures is to end the lives of such animals through euthanasia, without causing them pain or suffering, and in accordance with our climate of compassion."