A Historical Evaluation of Animal Protection Efforts of Non-governmental Organizations in Turkey

Abstract

The Holy Scriptures and early legal documents comprise various regulations related to the ownership of animals by man and the use of animals by mankind for various purposes. In these scripts, it is indicated that the maltreatment and intentional harm of animals is unrighteous from the standpoint of both law and ethics. Animals were valued greatly in early Turkish communities, who lived on animal husbandry. In these communities, the right to live and subsistence of animals were secured by means of legal sanctions, and it was demanded that animals not be inflicted any pain. At the dawn of the 20th century, both ongoing modernization eforts and the first mass culling of the excessively increased stray animal population triggered the establishment of the first non-governmental organization that aimed to defend animal rights and protect animals. Since the establishment of the first animal protection organization in Turkey in 1912, the number of non-governmental organizations operating in this field has increased to 155 over the course of a 99-year-period. The present study was aimed at the investigation of the historical development of the animal rights and animal protection issue in Turkey within the scope of the efforts of non-governmental organizations.