Turkey Aims to Cull Its Stray Dogs. Critics Say It’s About Politics.

Dogs have been a prominent part of Turkish culture for centuries. The Kangal Shepherd breed is a national treasure featured on postage stamps, and some strays have become local celebrities, like Boji, who earned fame for riding Istanbul’s public transportation.

But this year, Turkey’s stray dogs have become a contentious political issue.

The country’s Parliament passed a law this week requiring municipalities to round up stray dogs and put them into shelters, and permitting aggressive or ill animals to be euthanized. The law mandates shelter improvements by 2028 and threatens mayors with prison time if they don’t enforce the law.

But critics have expressed fears that the law may be used to target political opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party pushed through the legislation. Some are also concerned about inadequate, overcrowded shelters for the country’s stray dog population — estimated to be around four million.

“The shelter capacity is insufficient,” said Dr. Murat Arslan, the president of the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association. All the country’s shelters combined have capacity for just over 100,000 animals, he said, and most municipalities have no shelters at all.

“Currently, 3,000 veterinarians are employed in municipalities, but at least 10,000 more are needed,” Dr. Arslan said, noting that the new law does not require hiring additional veterinarians. In December, Dr. Arslan’s agency presented its recommendations to the government. “We provided our report and explained the source of the problem,” he said. “I don’t think they took any of it into account.”