00:00Mount's best friend has been around for over 30,000 years all over the planet, from the
00:04Arctic all the way down to the Antarctic, where a pack of hardy canines helped explorer
00:09Roald Amundsen reach the South Pole in 1911. Now, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
00:16call to call dogs has struck a major nerve with the public, who are livid and up in arms
00:21as VOA's Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
00:27Protests have broken out across Turkey recently over proposed legislation to round up millions
00:33of street dogs. Under the law, the dogs would be killed after 30 days if their owners don't
00:39turn up or new owners aren't found.
00:42Protester Zulal Kalkandelen explains for her it's a matter of acting humanely and taking
00:48history into account.
00:50They're planning to round them up in the shelters, which we call death camps. For some
00:58time there's been a campaign to fuel stray animal hatred. Our people, who've been living
01:03with street dogs for many years, in fact for centuries, are now being brought to the point
01:08where all these animals will be erased.
01:14The proposed legislation evokes memories of a dark chapter in the city's past when, in
01:201910, street dogs were rounded up and left on a nearby island to starve. But Turkish
01:26President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismisses opponents' concerns, claiming stray animals have become
01:32a menace to society, causing traffic accidents and spreading disease.
01:40The truth is that a very large part of society wants this issue to be resolved as soon as
01:47possible and our streets to become safe for everyone, especially our children. It is unthinkable
01:54for us to remain indifferent to this demand, this call, even this cry.
02:02However, activists say there are more humane ways to address people's concern over the
02:07number of street dogs. Lawyer Elcen Cemre Sencan is one of the protest organizers.
02:15There are people who are disturbed by these stray animals, but the solution to this is
02:20not to put the dogs to sleep, killing them. Scientific studies have shown that the sterilization
02:26of animals, especially dogs, reduces their numbers and attacks on people.
02:32Erdogan's AK party recently suffered a big defeat in local elections. Opponents say Erdogan
02:39could be working to consolidate his religious base by calculating opponents to his street
02:44dog legislation will come mainly from the secular opposition.
02:48We know our problems in the country. The world knows our problems, but they want to change
02:55the main topics to these animals. They don't talk, they cannot say anything. We are here
03:02to be their voice.
03:05A recent opinion poll suggests that less than three percent of Turks support the killing
03:09of street dogs, indicating opposition crosses political and religious lines. Analysts warn
03:16the street dog legislation, going before parliament in the coming weeks, could be a risky move
03:22for Erdogan. Dorian Jones, VOA News, Istanbul.
