Gebze Municipality accuses animal rights activists of 'theft'

In Kocaeli, animal rights activists exposed a massacre at the Gebze Municipality's Gebze Stray Animal Rehabilitation Center on October 11, when the lifeless bodies of 30 dogs and 13 cats were found placed in trash bags and discarded.

Gebze Municipality, which remained silent for a long time, claimed after the Kocaeli Governor's Office ordered a judicial and administrative investigation that the stray animals seen in the footage had died in various accidents.

As protests by animal rights activists continue in front of the facility where the incident occurred and in front of the municipal service building, a new statement has been released by Gebze Municipality. In the statement, animal rights activists were accused of theft.

Claiming that 75 animals, some of which had been left at the facility for treatment, were abducted and that a large quantity of animal feed was stolen, the statement issued by Gebze Municipality said, "Judicial processes have also been initiated for this theft and animal abduction. We hereby announce that the animals abducted from our facility must be returned to our facility immediately."

The municipality also held animal rights activists responsible for any potential attacks on the facility. The statement continued, "The group claiming to be animal lovers has publicly targeted our employees, especially the veterinarians working at our facility, by portraying them as perpetrators of crimes they allege but which have no basis in reality. They have made our staff, whose duty is to ensure that stray animals live in healthy conditions, targets. We bring to the attention of the public that this reckless group is responsible for any attack that may be directed at our rehabilitation center staff."

News Source: 12punto