Accusations Of Animal Cruelty In Osmaniye Municipal Shelter
In the past ten months, numerous instances of cruelty towards dogs have come to light, following the enactment of the massacre law.
This wave of suffering prompted a plea for the law's repeal to the constitutional court in Ankara.
Unfortunately, the court dismissed the request, leaving many concerned about the ongoing plight of these animals.
In this short blog I look at the accusations levelled at Osmaniye Municipality
February 20th 2025
Animal advocates discovered a burial pit near the municipal shelter. Nothing unusual about this as burial plots are needed for dogs that have passed away due to natural causes, illness, or injury. However, in this unsettling situation, some of the dogs were found to be still alive after being buried.
This disturbing revelation raised urgent concerns regarding the treatment and welfare of animals at the facility.
It underscores the necessity for stricter regulations and oversight to ensure the humane handling of animals, even in death.
The incident mobilized animal rights groups and the community to demand accountability and immediate action to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
February 23rd 2025
Images surfaced showing dogs being forcibly removed from kennels and injected with a substance that leads to their death.
The dogs, treated without dignity, were unceremoniously heaped into wheelbarrows for disposal.
Disturbingly, in one video, a dog that was still alive was seen being buried under the weight of other dogs presumed to be dead.
23rd February 2025
Statement From Mayor İbrahim Çenet, Municipality Regarding The Discovery Of Dogs Buried Alive At The Municipal Shelter
"Today, a group of activists with sticks in their hands unfortunately jumped over the wire fences of our animal shelter in the morning hours and lined up dead animals and dogs under treatment side by side in the Animal Cemetery, and beat and struck the young female technicians with their sticks.
They tried to create outrage in the society on a sensitive issue.
We carry out all our work openly and with the knowledge of the public with a responsible understanding of duty"
Unfortunately, all our friends from the manager to the technician are shedding tears saying, ‘We did not deserve this.’
This incident has shown once again that, while we exonerate sincere friends, there is animal lover terrorism in Turkey.
We regretfully condemn those who use violence as a means of seeking rights and respectfully announce to the public that the issue is being investigated from all aspects and that legal action will be taken against those responsible.”
The police launched a large-scale investigation into the incident.
February 25th 2025
PRESS RELEASE from The Turkish Veterinary Association regarding the incident
March 11th 2025
Credit Sözcü TV
Osmaniye Municipality once again become a topic of public concern following allegations that they incentivized workers with a bounty of 10 TL for each dog captured.
This controversy brought attention back to the municipality, especially in light of the recent discovery of live dogs in a burial pit.
The exact number of healthy dogs that have been euthanized at the shelter remains unclear, raising further questions and concerns about the handling and welfare of these animals.
Community members and animal rights activists are calling for transparency and immediate action to address the situation and ensure the humane treatment of animals in the area.
March 16th 2025
A drone flew over the municipal shelter & captured this video where a puppy is injected with something which makes him collapse, he is then thrown in to a wheelbarrow
Official explanation was that he was given an antibiotic.
Other dogs were also injected, they collapsed & were also thrown in to the wheelbarrow
March 16th 2025
Osmaniye back in the news again with their bounty system
A staff member who managed to collect 100 dogs was rewarded with an additional 1,000 TL on top of their regular salary. This bonus is alleged to have been paid by the mayors wife.