Killing of dog enflames Turkish animal lovers on issue that divides society
Video of animal shelter worker beating a dog to death leads to protests and questions over treatment of stray animals.
ISTANBUL — Visitors to Turkey are often taken aback by the care shown to stray cats and dogs as they stroll streets dotted with improvised kennels and bowls of food. But the killing of a dog last week has opened a fierce row over the treatment of animals.
Footage of a worker beating the dog to death with a shovel at a municipal animal shelter in Konya sparked outrage and led to people protesting outside the facility, some freeing caged animals.
During a visit to the central Anatolian city Nov. 26, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who adopted a dog called Leblebi two years ago, spoke out to condemn animal cruelty. “Measures have been taken to prevent it from happening again,” he told his supporters.
“Animals are also entrusted to us by Allah. We will of course benefit from them but we will never torture or mistreat them. … No one should doubt that we will also closely follow this issue,” he continued.
