A court in Ankara has annulled a decision by the governor's office that prohibited feeding animals living on the streets, concluding that the blanket ban was unlawful.
The case was filed by the Animal Rights Federation (HAYTAP) against a decision by the Ankara Governor’s Office Provincial Animal Protection Board. The Ankara 23rd Administrative Court struck down the measure in a ruling dated Sep 15.
Following 2024 amendments to the Animal Protection Law requiring municipalities to collect stray animals and place them in shelters, governor’s offices in several provinces introduced bans on feeding animals on the streets.
General ban 'nor proportional'
The administrative court said feeding activities could be regulated and monitored to protect public order, human health and the environment rather than being prohibited altogether.
Possible measures include designating feeding locations and methods, establishing controlled feeding areas, ensuring sanitary conditions and imposing restrictions based on time and location, according to the ruling.
The court found that imposing a direct and general ban instead of such measures was incompatible with the principle of proportionality.
It also noted that the term “uncontrolled feeding” was not clearly defined in legislation, potentially creating uncertainty in its implementation.
Bursa shopping mall sets up cat traps
Balance between animal welfare and human safety
The court said authorities should strike a “reasonable and equitable” balance between protecting the lives and welfare of animals living on the streets and safeguarding human life, safety and the environment.
HAYTAP said the ruling showed that regulation and oversight should be used instead of blanket feeding bans.
In a statement on social media, HAYTAP said a similar ban had first been introduced by the Afyon Governor’s Office.
The federation said its lawsuit challenging the Afyon decision was still pending and that it expected the case to be decided in its favor.
It also announced that it would file a lawsuit this week against a similar decision by the Erzurum Governor’s Office.
Erzurum bans feeding stray animals
Describing the Ankara ruling as an “important precedent,” the federation said public authorities could not simply adopt any measure they wished and that civil society organizations served as a “check mechanism” through legal action.
HAYTAP said it would continue challenging measures concerning animals living on the streets “reasonably and within the framework of the law” and would provide updates on the legal proceedings in Afyon and Erzurum.
Collection of stray dogs across Turkey
Amendments to the Animal Protection Law adopted in 2024 require municipalities to take unowned stray dogs to shelters and keep them there until they are adopted.
Animal rights advocates have described the legislation as a “massacre law,” warning that removing animals from their living areas and confining them to inadequate shelters could lead to deaths.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said on Sep 18 that 99.2 percent of stray animals across Turkey had been collected. The figure has not been independently verified, although the number of dogs living on the streets has been observed to decline. Cats, meanwhile, do not appear to have been targeted by the collection efforts so far.
Kocaeli animal massacre: Footage reveals municipal workers injecting animals despite mayor's denial
(NÖ/VK)
