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Türkiye’s initiative to clear all stray dogs from the streets by the end of 2026 has ignited a debate over infrastructure capacity, particularly after official data indicated that millions of animals should have already been relocated to municipal facilities or so-called natural life areas.
According to a report by Ozlem Ates Aksoy for T24, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci announced that authorities intend to place every street dog into a shelter before the end of the year.
Ciftci stated that 83% of Türkiye’s stray dog population had already been moved to shelters or natural life areas since the 2024 amendments to Animal Protection Law No. 7527. Critics widely refer to this legislation as the “euthanasia regulation for dogs.”
Before this legal change, Türkiye’s stray dog population was estimated at nearly 4 million, meaning an 83% reduction would equal roughly 3.32 million dogs. However, a 2025 report by the Animal Rights Monitoring Committee and the Association for Life revealed that the combined shelter capacity across 1,111 municipalities was only 89,451 dogs.
This discrepancy has prompted animal rights advocates to question where the rounded-up dogs are actually being held. The issue has intensified following the emergence of footage showing mass dog deaths in several provinces, including Ankara, Nigde, Balikesir, Izmir and Bursa.
According to the minister’s own figures, 17% of Türkiye’s stray dogs remain on the streets, meaning at least 680,000 dogs would still need to be taken in. Even if every existing shelter were empty, the reported national capacity would fall far short of that number.
The issue also came up in Ankara ahead of the NATO Summit scheduled for July 7-8, when police sent municipalities an order to collect dogs from routes, hotels and event areas. The move stood out because the ministry had previously said that 99% of stray dogs in Ankara had already been collected.
Ezgi Koc Ceylan, an attorney with the Istanbul Bar Association Animal Rights Center, pointed out that the ministry’s 2026 target directly clashes with the statutory timeline. She noted that municipalities legally have until Dec. 31, 2028, to construct care facilities, round up stray dogs, and bring shelters up to animal welfare standards.
She emphasized that ministries and governorates lack the authority to issue directives contradicting codified law, as doing so would directly violate the hierarchy of legal norms.
“Even if the interior minister claims this will be finished by December 2026, the law explicitly dictates 2028,” Koc Ceylan stated.
Furthermore, she highlighted that legal challenges filed against the regulation by various bar associations and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) remain pending before the Council of State’s 11th Chamber.
Koc Ceylan said many new facilities were designed more like remote “natural life areas” than accessible shelters. She pointed to areas built far from public access and said visits had been restricted in many municipalities, often requiring appointments or written forms.
She also said some areas were being fenced off and declared natural life areas before they were ready, leaving animals exposed to hunger and neglect. According to her, some dogs also died during collection because municipal staff lacked proper training, used excessive anesthesia, or transported animals in overcrowded vehicles.
Koc Ceylan argued that rounding up dogs will fail to control the population unless issues like breeding, dog fighting, and weak enforcement are simultaneously addressed. She noted that the ministry has yet to establish a comprehensive policy to combat these practices.
Furthermore, she warned that removing stray dogs threatens the ecological balance in rural Anatolia, where they serve as a critical buffer between human settlements and predatory wildlife.
“This is not merely about upsetting animal lovers; it is about disrupting the entire ecosystem,” she emphasized
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