Sixty-eight dogs, including 23 puppies, found locked in basement of Ankara apartment
Some 68 dogs, including 23 puppies, were found in a state of neglect in the basement of an Ankara apartment on Dec. 2, the local governor's office said. The authorities have imposed a total administrative fine of 12,308 Turkish liras (approximately $1,560) on one suspect in relation to the incident.
Duvar English
Sixty-eight dogs, including 23 puppies, have been rescued from the basement of an apartment in Ankara's Keçiören district, the local governor's office said on Dec. 2.
The dogs, living in a state of neglect, were located upon a tip-off, the governor's office said.
The dogs were handed over to the Keçiören municipality's department of environmental protection and control.
The authorities have imposed a total administrative fine of 12,308 Turkish liras (181 liras for each dog) on one suspect in relation to the incident as per Law No. 5199, the Animal Protection Law. Also, a judicial investigation has been launched into the incident.
Turkish animal rights activists have been for years urging lawmakers to vote for a long-awaited legislation that will expand rights of animals, amid cases of violence against animals.
Officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said earlier this year that a draft bill could be voted on within months, but no action has been so far taken.
The new legislation aims to respond to public outcry following a series of animal murders, with many of the perpetrators getting administrative fines only, as the Turkish law sees the abuse of animals as simply a “property violation.”