Istanbul Governorship Denies Retreat on Stray Animal Policy

Istanbul Governorship Clarifies Position on Stray Animal Policies, Denies ‘Retreat’ Claims

Istanbul, April 30, 2026 – The Istanbul Governorship has issued a statement refuting allegations of a ‘retreat’ on its policies concerning stray animals. These claims emerged on various social media platforms following a meeting of the Stray Animals Protection Board held at the AFAD Istanbul Center. The Governorship emphasized that all ongoing work is conducted strictly within the scope of Law No. 5199 on Animal Protection, and there has been no change in their stance.

The official statement from the Istanbul Governorship addressed the circulating news and posts, stating, “It has been observed that news and shares, referring to the decisions taken at the Stray Animals Protection Board meeting held today at the AFAD Istanbul Center, claim ‘The Governorship is backing down on the stray animal issue.’ The provisions of Law No. 5199 on Animal Protection are clear. It is known by all reasonable parties that stray animal attacks have resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries to hundreds of citizens in recent years. As the Istanbul Governorship, we are committed to pursuing the necessary steps to fulfill the obligations and implementations brought by the law to solve this pressing problem. We have made significant progress in resolving this important issue in Istanbul. We continue our efforts tirelessly to provide our fellow citizens with a higher standard of living in this matter, as in all others. There can be no complacency or retreat on this issue. To avoid misunderstandings or manipulation, we are sharing the decisions taken at the Provincial Animal Protection Board meeting with the public.”

Key Decisions from the Provincial Animal Protection Board Meeting:

1. Shelter and Natural Habitat Construction: Municipalities, which are legally obligated to allocate at least 50% of their financial resources for the construction of animal shelters and natural living areas or to increase the capacity of existing ones, must promptly take over the allocated forest areas for these facilities. Municipalities with ongoing tender and construction phases are required to complete these activities and operationalize their shelters and natural living areas without delay.
2. Stray Dog Inventory and Data Reporting: Municipalities are mandated to conduct monthly inventory studies on the number of stray dogs within their districts. These data must be submitted to the Istanbul Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP). Furthermore, to ensure the effective tracking of activities related to stray animals, all local governments in the province must submit the Stray Animal Monitoring Charts, developed by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, to the Istanbul DKMP Directorate by the 5th of each month for entry into the HAYBİS database.
3. Completion of Pendik and Tuzla Natural Living Areas: The construction of natural living areas belonging to Pendik and Tuzla Municipalities, which have already commenced, must be completed and put into service as soon as possible. Stray dogs from these districts will be gathered in these facilities.
4. Legal Sanctions for Non-Compliant Municipalities: Municipalities that have not allocated resources from their budgets for shelter construction and veterinary services, in accordance with relevant legislation (0.05% of the latest finalized budget revenues for metropolitan municipalities, and 0.03% for other municipalities), will be reminded of the legal sanctions.
5. Incentivizing Adoption from Shelters: Businesses in organized industrial zones will collaborate with municipalities and relevant institutions to promote the adoption of dogs from municipal shelters.
6. Preventing Illegal Abandonment: Security and gendarmerie units will take measures to prevent municipalities or certain citizens from illegally abandoning stray dogs.

The Governorship’s statement underscores its unwavering commitment to addressing the issue of stray animals in Istanbul, ensuring that all actions are in full compliance with existing laws and aimed at improving public safety and animal welfare.

Source: Istanbul Governorship