27/09/2026
THE WAY TO PREVENT BREEDING IS NOT TO LEAVE ANIMALS HUNGRY!
At its meeting on September 24, 2026, the Erzurum Provincial Animal Protection Board decided to ban feeding activities throughout the province under the pretext of preventing stray animals from breeding and creating living spaces.
No animal has chosen to be bred uncontrollably, abandoned to the streets, or to multiply. It is unacceptable to make completely innocent animals pay the price of a human-made problem with starvation.
Taking away food from an animal does not prevent its reproduction. A feeding ban introduced without regulating breeding, preventing abandonments, and conducting necessary work for population control does not eliminate the source of the problem.
Moreover, the same board decided to suspend the activities of the animal shelter belonging to the Pasinovası Union of Municipalities until it is brought into compliance with legislation, and to complete the deficiencies of the Oltu Municipality Shelter, which is currently under construction.
Here, a much more important question needs to be answered: While the deficiencies of existing shelters have not yet been addressed, what problem is intended to be solved by banning the feeding of stray animals? Under what conditions will the care, shelter, and health of the animals whose feeding is prevented be guaranteed?
Furthermore, the duties and authorities of the Provincial Animal Protection Boards are defined by Law No. 5199 and relevant legislation. The duties assigned to the board by the law include identifying problems regarding the protection of animals, developing solution proposals, and improving existing practices. These powers cannot be interpreted as an authority to impose new and general bans that are not explicitly provided for in the law. Indeed, during the judicial process regarding a similar practice in Istanbul, it was assessed that the statements in the board's decision had no direct legal effect or consequences and were not of an enforceable nature. Regarding the decision in Erzurum, it must primarily be demonstrated whether the board has an explicit authority arising from the law to introduce a feeding ban that would bind all citizens throughout the province.
Article 14/1-a of the Animal Protection Law No. 5199 prohibits the intentional leaving of animals hungry and thirsty. Articles 4/c and 4/h of the same Law list the protection, care, and feeding of animals under species-specific conditions among the fundamental principles. Article 16 of the Law assigns duties to the Provincial Animal Protection Boards to identify problems related to the protection of animals, prepare solution projects, and improve shelters.
Scientifically, managing food sources is entirely different from starving animals. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) recommends the combined implementation of breeding control, responsible pet ownership, reproduction control, and veterinary services in dog population management. It clearly states that environmental measures targeting uncontrolled food sources must not jeopardize animal welfare and public health.
Therefore, not only the legal basis of the decision in Erzurum, but also the scientific data on which it was based and its potential impacts on the living conditions of stray animals must be evaluated.
As HAYTAP, we continue our legal struggle against similar feeding bans. Following the legal victory we achieved in the lawsuit filed against the Ankara Governorship and the relevant Ministry, the lawsuit we filed against the feeding ban of the Afyonkarahisar Governorship is also ongoing. In the Afyonkarahisar case, the Konya Regional Administrative Court overturned the lower court's rejection decision by recognizing our federation's legal standing to file a lawsuit.
The decision taken in Erzurum will also be examined by HAYTAP lawyers within the framework of scientific data, current legislation, public interest, and the principles of proportionality; necessary applications will be made to the relevant administrative and judicial authorities to overturn the decision.
If you want to control the animal population, first regulate uncontrolled breeding, prevent abandonments, and bring existing shelters into compliance with legislation.
Because the responsibilities that public institutions must fulfill cannot be eliminated by taking away a bowl of food from stray animals.
