Turkey

A Mirror Image

If you have read in depth about the problems facing Greek animals head on, then you will understand the situation in Turkey, Serbia and a myriad other nations.

The two nations of Greece and Turkey were locked together in battle,
turmoil and servitude for 400 years. In 1821, Greece broke free of Turkish
bondage. Yet, this Christian nation and this Muslim nation have both emerged as one intersecting example of the uneducated orphans of humanity. Both nations
continue to gain notoriety as animal neglect and abuse escalates. Their landscapes are pock marked with the scars of indifference, neglect and abuse.

As well, Turkish and foreign advocates on the ground in Turkey express fear of oppressive government tactics and retribution for speaking out.

The general public's ignorance barrier, concerning not only the horrible consequences of companion animal overpopulation but the magnitude and depth of problems associated with trying to alleviate the suffering of these animals, is huge. As well, the accompanying ignorance concerning responsible, basic care giving is horrifying and must be corrected.

A mind set of animal
protection consciousness
to a breakthrough level of
achievement of necessary
improvements must be
attained through creative
public service marketing
efforts in coordination with
educational efforts in the
schools and protective legal mandates that are
implemented by officials
and taken seriously by
citizens.

Today's overwhelming and
indisputable evidence
linking animal cruelty with
violence against all living
beings makes these lessons of animal protection, not
only a moral imperative, but perhaps the most
important step we can
take for the advancement
of the protection of
society!

Pictures Are Worth Thousands of Words!

Look at Them! Look at the Brutalized Animals.
Look at Turkey's Landscape!

Genocide:

"The systematic and planned extermination of an entire national, racial, political, or ethnic group."

A Tip for Turkey

In 2006, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality opened a tender for the neutering and releasing of 5500 abandoned dogs in Istanbul. The conditions for entering the tender were tweaked in such a way as to ensure that no animal protection organization could ever apply. The tender was given to the least bidder, Biosav AS which is an insecticide producing firm and Anadolu Ilac Gida Ltd.Sti. (AIG) started to work as a sub-contractor of this firm.

Anadolu Ilac Gida, working in cooperation with Arif Eker, the Head of the Istanbul Municipality Veterinary Department, has turned out to be a butcher operation, solely concerned about the short term profit, piling up ovaries and testicles, operating in abhorrent conditions, neglecting to feed the animals under their care, failing to meet even the basic standards of human decency and finally, releasing the lost and disoriented animals in the forests, near Istanbul's crowded highways, to be killed violently by automotive traffic.

Recent months have seen hundreds of dogs dying of suffocation in vans with no ventilation, scores of dogs never making it off the surgery tables, sick and injured animals being sterilized, dropped unceremoniously by the side of the road, and animals being starved to death in Anadolu Ilac "recovery kennels".

This repugnant situation in Istanbul and other municipalities in Turkey should be under the scrutiny of major animal welfare organizations with the expertise and financial assets to coordinate and execute change for the animals, the target victims of greed and inhumanity.

By hiring unskilled people, showing absolutely no respect for the welfare of animals, and continuing with this organized massacre, Ahmet Kocadere and Toper Buyuker, the two-person-gang that calls itself Anadolu Ilac, is bringing disrepute to Turkey, an otherwise wonderful country currently undergoing serious legal and structural reforms - part of a package designed to meet European Union standards.

Spay, Neuter and Return is the only humane and rational way of solving the abandoned dog problem but it requires adequate implementation. Practice has shown that it can not be implemented properly by a profit seeking firm which only concentrates on the number of ovaries and testicles it excises and has no concern for the well being of the animals. It can only be successfully and humanly implemented under the supervision and with the cooperation of animal protection organizations.

What Anadolu Ilac and Arif Eker are doing in Istanbul today, with the blessing of the municipality, is nothing short of genocide, and for this they will be brought to justice.

The images you are about to watch

were shot in Erzurum Ilica District.
Ismail Efe, is the Mayor of Ilıca,
who started a campaign he named
"Bring a Dog & Get 5 ytl"
to promote children
collecting stray dogs.
He is proud of his slogan!

Mr. Arif Eker
Veterinarian, Istanbul Municipality.
Istanbul, Turkey
December 2, 30, 2006

Mr. Eker:

Upon the death of my father, my family's foundation allocated a substantial
amount of funding for the purpose of alleviating the suffering of animals in
chosen destinations around the world - especially Greece, my home for 15
years, while married. This suffering is sadly and invariably at the hands of
man.

We have been barraged by phone calls, letters and e-mails regarding what
has become an unacceptable and repelling situation with regard to the
Istanbul Municipality's protocol for handling this all encompassing situation
for the city's abandoned animal population. These complaints are from the
citizens of Istanbul and from tourists as well.

In other words Mr. Eker, it appears from critics "on the ground" in Istanbul
and from highly educated and urbane visitors, that your administration of a
sensitive issue, an issue dealing with sentient beings, is one that is stirring
highly negative repercussions for the global image of Turkey and it's "
bottom line." You are highly criticized for your handling of what is becoming an alleged, outrageous, cruel and incompetent situation.

It is not difficult o encourage global travelers to redirect vacation plans to
more compassionate venues and I understand that several large tour
companies are most definitely encouraging travel to Italy instead of Turkey.

I would most certainly like to hear your view of the situation and learn of
your plans to reconcile this apparent disaster.

I look forward to a telephone conversation or to your written response.
My telephone numbers in Manhattan and at my country home on the Gulf
Coast follow. I am presently in Manhattan.

Thank you for your anticipated response.
Marijo Gillis- Gillis Family Foundation