Horror at Elazığ Shelter Hundreds of Dogs Held Without Food or Water

Elazığ, Turkey - Animal welfare activists are demanding urgent action after hundreds of stray dogs were found confined in an unfinished, unlicensed “shelter” in Elazığ’s Kovancılar district.

Eyewitnesses describe horrific conditions: dogs packed into tiny spaces, no access to clean water or adequate food, and no veterinarians on site. Many animals are reportedly sick, exhausted, or dead.

“It wasn’t a shelter it was a nightmare,” said one witness. “There was only silence, filth, and suffering.”

Despite being under construction, the facility built by the Provincial Special Administration is receiving dogs collected by Elazığ Municipality and Nature Conservation teams. Entry to the compound is strictly restricted and guarded by gendarmerie and private security.

Animal rights groups call the site a concentration camp for dogs and are urging its immediate closure, veterinary intervention, and prosecution of those responsible.