Özgöray: I Oppose Euthanising Stray Animals, But the Current Situation Is Not Sustainable

Speaking on the programme Gündem, prepared and presented by Ulaş Barış on Kıbrıs Postası TV, Özgöray said that in Europe and the United States, dogs found on the streets are taken to shelters and euthanised if they are not adopted within 30 days. In the TRNC, however, he said the system is different, as current legislation requires animals in shelters to be cared for for their entire lives.

Özgöray stated that this places a serious burden on municipalities, adding that there is a large stray dog population and that even a shelter with a capacity of 8,000 animals would not be sufficient to meet existing needs.

He said the current situation poses significant problems in terms of animal welfare and is not sustainable in the long term. Stressing that neutering efforts cannot be carried out solely with the resources of municipalities, Özgöray said the central government must allocate funding for this purpose.

Highlighting the scale of the problem, Özgöray noted that a single female and male dog could reproduce to reach a population of approximately 50,000 dogs within 20 years.

“Why are there not 100,000 animals on the streets? Because some die due to lack of food, and some even eat their own offspring. An animal either separates or eats. The current situation is highly abnormal. Animals either cannot access food or die from cold or heat,” he said.

Reiterating his opposition to euthanising animals, Özgöray added that municipalities need to be enabled through legal and administrative arrangements to take more effective action in addressing the issue of stray animals.