Animal Rights from the perspective of Laws

     The Animal Protection Law number 519, entered in the force in 2004 in order to protect animal rights in Turkey. This law is based on the principles of protecting the right to life and ensuring the welfare of animals, as well as important regulations related to stray animals.These legal regulations for stray animals cover the processes of care,rehabilitation,adoption and digital identification of waif and disabled animals. Within the scope of the law, the protection of stray animals and the provision of health services are the responsibility of local governments,which means municipalities. Municipalities are obliged to carry out treatment, sterilization, vaccination and rehabilitation procedures in the nursing homes they have established by collecting unclaimed animals. Animals whose rehabilitation process is completed remain in shelters until they are adopted; animals that cannot be adopted are released into nature as much as possible.Tue. However, it is essential that this process continues under the supervision and control of municipalities.The law allows euthanasia for stray animals under certain conditions. Animals taken to a nursing home can be euthanized for those with infectious diseases that threaten public health, or animals that pose a danger to humans and other animals due to their behavior. These procedures should be carried out within the framework specified in the law.Metropolitan and provincial municipalities and municipalities with a population exceeding 25 thousand are obliged to allocate a certain part of their budgets for the care and rehabilitation of stray animals for this purpose. This regulation aims to ensure the access and welfare of animals to health services. In addition, according to the law, it has been made mandatory to register animals with digital identities. This digital identification makes it easier to track down unclaimed animals and speeds up their adoption in a possible situation.This law, which aims to protect the right to life and welfare of stray animals, also provides for criminal sanctions in cases of mistreatment and neglect of animals. The aim of the law is to guarantee the basic rights of animals; however, due to the difficulties experienced in implementation, the regulation needs to be improved.

• 1. Legislation Information System of the Republic of Turkey - Animal Protection Law No. 5199 : mevzuat.gov.tr
• 2. Law No. 7527 on Amendments to the Animal Protection Law : www.alomaliye.com
• 3. .The Views of the TBB were Presented to the Turkish Bar Association Meeting - The Proposal to Amend the Animal Protection Law in the Turkish Parliament's Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs Commission : www.barobirlik.org.tr