Today, October 4th, is World Animal Day. How do people protect animals? Can animals not protected by humans be protected by law?
The animal shelters in the country are full. The offspring of unneutered animals are left either at the door of a shelter, near a crowded restaurant, or in the city.
Many non-governmental organizations working on a voluntary basis share dozens of posts on their social media accounts in order to find a home for these stray animals; They work hard to treat those in need.
The saddest picture in the country is that almost every day, cats, dogs or foxes die as a result of being hit by vehicles; stay in the road or on the side of the road for days.
Each country makes its own legal regulation on animals because there is no framework determined by international organizations for animal rights, as there is for human rights.
Since the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights, which has been in circulation since the 1970s, is not a formalized text by the United Nations, countries make restrictions and regulations within their own legal framework.
For example, in some countries, it is forbidden to sell animals in pet shops called “pet shops”. Turkey was added to these countries last. There are countries where hunting, which is among the controversial issues, is prohibited or restricted.
It is allowed to sell pets in pet shops in TRNC. According to the President of the Cyprus Turkish Bar Association, Lawyer Hasan Esendaglı, regulation on this issue is a must.
According to Turkish Agency Cyprus (TAK) as part of the October 4th World Animal Day, Esendağlı noted that Chapter 47, which is from the British era, has been updated with the Animal Welfare Law that came into force in 2013.
Esendağlı said that torture, ill-treatment and making animals fight is a crime, and that the law envisages fines or imprisonment for those who commit these crimes.
Stating that animal rights cannot be considered in a single category, Hasan Esendağlı stated that there are rules regarding the care and slaughter of butchery animals as well as rules regarding the care of pets.
Hasan Esendağlı said, “We are not a country that does not say anything about animal rights. Many rights are granted to animals in the Animal Welfare Law, but there is a weakness in the implementation of the law. No control; in my opinion, this law is not a law that is followed very closely and its implementation is sensitive.”
Stating that legislation should be prepared for the protection of wildlife, the state should allocate a budget for this and support those working in this field. Hasan Esendağlı said that Taşkent Nature Park’s work on wildlife is very valuable.
From the point of view of animal rights, Hasan Esendağlı, the President of the Cyprus Turkish Bar Association, said that the hunt has no side to be defended and continued as follows:
“Our country is small, game is limited and there are too many hunters. Granting a license for a gun so easily creates a danger to human life from time to time.
I’ve never seen hunting as a sport, my personal opinion is that it should be banned, but that’s debatable. There are those who defend the hunt as well as those who oppose the hunt, but fighting animals is a melody and is definitely a crime.
Emphasizing that the sale of pets in pet shops should be taken seriously, Esendağlı said, “Pet shops should be places where animal products are sold, not animals, and it is not enough for some to buy cats or dogs from these places; illegal animals are brought from abroad,” he said.
Hasan Esendağlı also said that unattended pets are left on the streets and said, “We have problems in taking care of our pets, we cannot take care of the animals we buy.
There are more pets on our streets than you can see in Europe or southern Cyprus. Shelters are full. People are volunteers here and they can’t get enough,” he said.
Esendağlı said that with a new law that came into force in Turkey, the sale of pets in pet shops is prohibited; one of them is selling pets in pet shops and the other is hunting.”
Saying that they adopted a stray dog and named it “Piskot”, Hasan Esendağlı said, “There are many animals in the shelters and on the streets.
Adopting them is a much more humane, much more environmentally friendly behavior. It is also about education, culture, raising awareness and instilling a love of animals in children.”
On the other hand, according to the information received from the Cyprus Turkish Municipalities Association, 8 out of 28 municipalities in the country have animal shelters. The municipalities of Nicosia, Famagusta, Girne, Gonyeli, Değirmenlik, İskele, Esentepe and Tatlısu have animal shelters.
Paşaköy Municipality also has a shelter, but it is not in use at the moment. Güzelyurt Municipality, on the other hand, has a rehabilitation center for animals that has not been completed yet.
The most important problem of shelters in the country is occupancy and financial difficulties. Efforts are made to create financial resources to cover the nutrition and health expenses of animals through events and donation campaigns organized on special days such as October 4th, but it is not enough. The shelters are not investment and growth oriented, they work for the care and feeding of existing animals.
Another important problem is the recent increase in the prices of dry and wet pet foods.
It is important to be reminded frequently of the slogans of “buy, own”. Shelters opened by municipalities, individuals and associations are open to visitors and people who will be friendly to animals, not only today, but always.