Striking street animals report from the Marmara Municipalities Union

The Marmara Municipalities Union (MBB) published a ‘Street Animals Research Report’ containing findings and solutions regarding street animals. According to the report titled ‘Municipalities in the Marmara Region and Current Situation’, it is noteworthy that there is an average of 23.7 veterinarians per municipality in metropolitan municipalities, while this number remains at 0.4 in town municipalities.

Following the instruction of MBB and Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Bozbey to prepare a report on street animals in the last MBB meeting, the ‘Street Animals Research Report’ was prepared with the participation of member municipalities. The report presented data on the employment of veterinarians in municipalities, the number and facilities of shelters, the population of street animals, and their needs. In total, 119 municipalities participated in the study, including 6 metropolitan municipalities, 5 provinces, 90 districts, and 18 town municipalities from the Marmara Region between June and July 2024. The report aims to ensure that the decisions made are based on data.

The situation in municipalities from metropolitan to town

The research conducted by the MBB Data and Technology Center aims to identify municipalities’ efforts towards street animals, the facilities they have, and the challenges they face. According to the report, an average of 23.7 veterinarians are assigned per municipality in metropolitan municipalities. In contrast, the lack of even one veterinarian per municipality in town municipalities stands out as a striking statistic. According to the data provided by 47 municipalities, the identified number of street animals is 322,711. The average number of street animals per municipality is 6,866, and the number of animals in shelters is 18,726.

Shelters and identification of street animals

Among the 107 municipalities that responded regarding the shelter situation, it was found that 57 have a shelter, while 50 municipalities do not have one. It was identified that metropolitan municipalities employ more staff and veterinarians, while town municipalities remain very limited in this area. In efforts to identify street animals, only half of the municipalities are active, with 47 municipalities conducting research on this issue. The report highlights serious inadequacies in animal care, revealing that facilities such as research units, treatment rooms, shelter units, operating theaters, intensive care units, and rehabilitation centers do not exist in town municipalities at all.

Challenges and proposed solutions

The report also pointed out that municipalities face challenges such as insufficient veterinarians, inadequate shelter capacity, financial difficulties, and challenges arising from legislation. The prominent proposed solutions from the participating municipalities are as follows:

– Minimum criteria should be established for spaying/neutering and vaccination for effective population control and management of street animals.
– Management of street animals should be conducted centrally and in a coordinated manner, and veterinary affairs directorates should be established.
– Efforts should be made to ensure the safety of personnel working in animal hospitals and shelters.
– Environments should be created where all institutions and actors working in the field can come together and exchange ideas.
– Budgets for street animals should be increased, and municipalities that do not allocate budgets should be encouraged to do so. Sustainable financing models should be developed to create long-term solutions, and support should be sought from grants and funds for projects.
– The central government should contribute to municipalities regarding land allocation and financial resources.