Dog abused in municipality’s shelter

* Photo: Pixabay

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A dog named Max was sent to an animal shelter affiliated with the Devrek Municipality in Zonguldak in May for sterilization. He was then allegedly subjected to sexual abuse in the shelther. Having suspected the abuse, Hazal Paşa, the owner of Max, took him to an animal hospital in İstanbul, where it was documented that there were signs of force on the animal's anus. The hospital has prepared a medical report.

As it has become certain by a medical report that the dog was abused, a campaign has been launched on social media. Animal rights defenders have been tweeting under the hashtag #devrekbarınağındaistismarvar, meaning "There is abuse in Devrek shelter."

It is actually not the first time that the shelter in Devrek sparked reactions among rights defenders. In a video previously shared on social media, there was a cat left on the street after being anesthetized. This issue also led to a social media campaign under the hashtag #devrekbelediyesihesapver (Devrek Municipality, answer for this).

We have spoken with animal rights defender Hazal Paşa about the abuse suffered by the dog that she has adopted.

'There have been problems for a year'

Paşa has been living in Devrek for a year. She says that the problems with the shelter have also been going on for a year.

Having witnessed what happened in Devrek and Devrek Shelter as well, Paşa has briefly said the following to bianet:

"We already have problems with the attitude of the municipality. It is a municipality that has passed from the [ruling] AKP to the [main opposition] CHP after years. I say it for this: When I had a problem like this, I was hopeful. I thought that it would be taken care of. But my hopes were shattered. I have been living here for a year. There has been an unbelievable violation of animal rights and there is an environment where nothing is done about it. Animals are miserable.

"I have started feeding animals, going from street to street. I have tried to treat the sick and wounded animals with the help of social media. We have been waging a struggle here with animal lovers.

"Shortly after I came here, I saw that the municipality's shelter did not do its basic duty, namely sterilizing the animals, and did not properly provide animals with food. There is no private clinic for animals, there is only the veterinarian of the municipality. There is unfortunately no place where we can go to treat or sterilize the animals.

"With other animal lovers here, we have been submitting complaints and petitions about this for a year. Seeing all these problems, I tried to contact the mayor, but I had hardships."

'We cannot reach mayor for 8 months'

Paşa says that even though she has been requesting a meeting with the Mayor for eight months now, she has received no response:

"I went to the shelter and saw it myself, I witnessed that pedigrees were held in the shelter. We went to the shelter with people from the PADER Street Animals' Association and saw that the number of dogs kept there was over the capacity. More than half of them were not sterilized."

"That is to say, animals have been confined there and they are not given enough food," Paşa says and adds, "In such a tiny place as this, we cannot reach the mayor for eight months."

'I was threatened'

Paşa notes that she is constantly threatened by people because she feeds street animals. One of the persons who threatened her is a relative of the mayor and her neighbor. "People do not really welcome animals here, she intercepted me and threatened me," Paşa says, briefly adding:

"At that time, Max was also one of the animals left on the street, I had found him three months before that. Then, I brought Max to the veterinarian for sterilization. I thought that it could be done in one way or another.

"I had to entrust him to the veterinarian for the sterilization, but I was not expecting that we could live something terrible like this. Because I thought that he was under my control.

"Max was a really healthy and lively dog, he was like that when I entrusted him to the veterinarian. Everytime I called them to check, they told me that 'Max was OK, there was no problem.' But, then, when I took Max back, I saw that he could not relieve himself and had real pain.

"We got a report from the clinic, documenting that there was intensive inflammation and burst in his anal sacs."

After what happened to Max, Paşa could take him to an animal hospital in İstanbul with the support of social media. "Max was in a horrible condition. They made me sign a paper of adoption just to get rid of the responsibility," Paşa says, adding the following:

"Max has been comprehensively treated and the veterinarian has prepared a report. Max was treated there for 2 months. We considered the possibility of abuse and rape, but as we acted ethically and as these were serious allegations, we first wanted to have a detailed examination.

"So, after the medical and psychological examinations, the veterinarian said, 'I am sure, Max was abused by the force of either an object or a sexual organ.' Then, the veterinarian prepared the report and said that I could apply to the relevant authorities with this report."

'I will file a criminal complaint'

Paşa says that she will file a criminal complaint, but no punishments are given: "Because municipalities are not within the scope of penalties and animals have the status of property. So, it goes unpunished."

Concluding her remarks, Paşa says:

"We have reached anywhere we can, but there is still no progress. Everyone has been fed up here and we cannot solve the issue of shelter. Let the voice of animals here be heard. Change the veterinarian. Why is it not done? Why this insistence? It is a problem of mentality. There is a problem with administration. And this needs to be solved now."

Paşa has also shared the report documenting the sexual abuse:

KISIRLAŞTIRMA İÇİN NE YAZIK Kİ ELİMİZLE TESLİM ETTİĞİMİZ SAPASAĞLAM ÇOCUK SADECE 10 GÜN SONRA KORKUNÇ BİR HALDE GELDİ! İKİ AY BOYUNCA TEDAVİSİNİ YAPAN VETERİNER HEKİMİN CİNSEL İSTİSMAR RAPORU BURADA! #devrekbarınağındaistismarvar https://t.co/3C0aGdsqUt pic.twitter.com/hKBo8Zna8p

— Elitsu Kediannesi (@hazalisthenew) August 19, 2020

(SO/SD)