In the statement made by the Forensic Veterinary Medicine Commission of the Association of Forensic Scientists, it was reported that the World Health Organization considers Turkey among the most risky countries in terms of stray dogs.
"Stray dog attacks continue to be a big problem in our country," the statement said, adding, "According to the data of the Ministry of Health, the number of contacts with rabies risk between 2008 and 2021 was 2 million 959 thousand 338. Authorities said that the number of people exposed to rabies in the last two years could reach 500 thousand. That's why the World Health Organization (WHO) sees Turkey among the most risky countries. Countries such as the USA and the UK also tell their citizens traveling to Turkey, “There are many dogs on the streets. “Be careful,” they warn. Approximately 15 million people have been attacked by dogs in the last 3,5 years. "The number of people who died from rabies between 2008 and 2021 is 22 people."
The following statements were included in the statement: “Children in intensive care have become an important agenda in 2023. Stray animal incidents in December 2023 continued with increasing momentum. When asked 'What are the main problems in Ankara', the people of Ankara placed 'stray dogs' in the top three. The vital signs of the 9-year-old child, who was attacked by stray dogs in Ankara's Keçiören district, finally stabilized and he was disconnected from the breathing machine. A rehabilitation program is applied to Yılmaz to regain his functions. While running to protect his daughter in Ankara's Mamak district, the father and his 1-year-old child fell to the ground with the child in their arms and were seriously injured. A stray dog attacked a 9-year-old child riding a bicycle in Ankara's Polatlı district. Thanks to the citizens around, the child was saved from the attack of the dog. The child's right foot was injured. The family of 16-year-old AFT, who was attacked by stray dogs on his way to school in Ankara, is preparing to file a lawsuit against Çankaya Municipality. On the other hand, after a 10-year-old child was attacked and seriously injured by stray dogs in Ankara, tension arose as Ankara Metropolitan Municipality teams tried to pick up a stray dog. While children are injured when attacked by stray dogs, families demand solutions from local governments. The dog attack in Ankara has come to the agenda of the Parliament.
79-Year-Old Woman Injured as a result of Dog Attack in Muş
A 79-year-old woman living in Varto district of Muş was injured as a result of an attack by stray dogs. A pet pitbull attacked and injured two children in Beylikdüzü. A 13-year-old boy, who was attacked by a stray dog in Yenişehir district of Diyarbakır, was injured in his face, hand and hip. 14-year-old KKY, who was going to Karabük Vocational Training Center, was bitten on the leg as a result of an attack by a stray dog while walking on the road. The child was taken to the hospital and given a rabies vaccination. The motorcyclist who hit a stray dog that suddenly appeared in front of him while driving in Edirne was injured.
Street Dogs Are Dangerous
Street dogs escaping from cold weather Göztepe Prof. Dr. It entered the patient reception area of Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital. Dozens of stray dogs abandoned on the highway are causing danger around the highway care center at the Kop Mountain Pass on the Bayburt-Erzurum highway. LS, who was attacked by a stray dog while walking his dog in Şanlıurfa Siverek and was bitten by his dog, which was diagnosed with rabies, died in the hospital where he was treated. In the Adilcevaz district of Bitlis, 11-year-old ME died in the hospital where he was treated for rabies as a result of being bitten by stray dogs. 'Rabies risk contact' in Turkey in 2021; 250 thousand people were treated due to this disease. More than 60 thousand people die from rabies in Turkey, Asia and Africa every year. It has been stated that the sterilization rate of stray dogs is low, the number of stray dogs in Turkey may reach around 40 million, and at least 1,5 million dogs must be sterilized annually. On the other hand, cruelty and brutal behavior towards cats and dogs is also increasing. FB, who tortured and killed a puppy in Kırklareli, was released on the condition that he would take care of the animals at the shelter two days a week.
Breed Cat and Dog Production Increased the Increase and Torture of Stray Animals
Breeding of cats and dogs has increased the number of stray animals and their suffering. In the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, a fugitive taxi driver with a criminal record stole the pet dog that was left in front of the market and was caught behind it. The ruling party in South Korea aims to ban eating dog meat and put an end to debates about the old tradition in an environment where awareness about animal rights is increasing. The awareness that only neutering and tagging is not just taking care of our stray animals needs to be established. The public should be aware of this issue and should not treat the animal that they see as having ear tags as if they were owned. Every municipality should know the number of stray animals in their area. The success of neutering stray animals is important to reduce stray breeding. Shelter nursing homes are at a disadvantage in terms of their capacity. While protecting animal rights, authorized units that can not only enforce the rules but also produce instant solutions should be established. Printed publications that increase perception should be hung and distributed in schools, markets and shopping malls, and our people should be made aware of where they can reach expert support for a solution. People should be told about the ways to reach our freelance veterinarians who will help them voluntarily.
Animals Should Be Registered with a Digital ID
As each household or each individual tries to find a solution on their own, expert resolution of the issue will not be achieved and time will be spent with temporary and instant solutions. With the amendment to the Animal Protection Law, animals were removed from their property status and the crime of harming animals fell under the approach of "damaging life" rather than "damaging property". The crime of Animal Killing, Maltreatment and Torture is accepted not only for owned but also for stray animals. Since domestic animals such as cats and dogs wandering the streets pose a great threat to public health and safety, there are no stray dogs and related rabies cases in Europe, as regulations are made on the basis of animal rights, public health and safety. Veterinarians in our country are very experienced. When Pasteur discovered the rabies vaccine in 1882, starting from Veterinarian Hüsnü Bey, whom Sultan Abdulhamid II sent to Paris to receive training on the vaccine, Veterinary Control continued uninterruptedly for 2 years from the early 1900s until the 100s. and Research Institutes, many viral, bacterial and parasitic vaccines have been developed. These productions must continue. With the Animal Protection Law, cat and dog owners are obliged to register their animals with digital identification method. As of January 2000, 1, fines were imposed on those who did not register their animals with digital identification method. There should be no stray dogs in our living environment that have not been chipped.