Didim is Now Turkey’s ‘First Municipality Without Animal Testing’

* Photo: balıkesir.bel.tr

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The District Municipality of Didim in Turkey's western province Muğla issued a decision at its Municipal Council Meeting on December 4 and committed that they will in no way send the animals that they are required to take care of to laboratories as experimental animals. 

According to this decision, no animals living on the street and in shelters in Didim will be given to laboratories experimenting on animals.

The decision was brought into the agenda of the municipal council as part of the "Municipality Without Animal Testing" project launched by the Association of No to Animal Testing (Deneye Hayır Derneği), which has been striving to end animal testing and to popularize alternative scientific methods.

In the article added to the agenda of the municipal council, Didim Mayor Ahmet Deniz Atabay stated the following in brief:

"A first in Turkey, a municipality without animals testing"

"While there are licensed official and private organizations breeding animals for experimental purposes in Turkey, it cannot be accepted by public conscience that the animals trying to survive in care homes and on the streets are sent to laboratories for experiments by local administrations.

"Local administrations are not obligated to provide public and private institutions with experimental animals from their own care homes, shelters and rehabilitation centers. Such practices are under the initiative of the Municipality.

"Therefore, we adopt it as a 'principle of respect for animal rights' to not send the animals that we are required to care for to laboratories as experimental animals, knowing that they will be left for dead and torture. Within this context, issuing such a decision by the Municipal Council will be a first in Turkey and set an example to all municipalities across the country."

Ideal of 'being a vegan-friendly city'

Making a statement after the municipal council meeting on December 4, Didim Mayor Ahmet Deniz Atabay said, "In the name of raising awareness for animal rights struggle, we have started with the ideal of being a 'Vegan-Friendly City' and we are taking steps in that direction, to the degree allowed by the laws and regulations. This decision is an indication for our sincerity.

"I would like to thank my fellow municipal council members and Association of No to Animal Testing. On this occasion, I would like to - once again - remember our young friend and activist for animal freedom Burak Özgüner, with whom we started this project and whom we have recently lost."

Güven: There is ambiguity in the law

The project of "Municipality Without Animal Testing" initiated by the Association of No to Animal Testing has been emphasizing that it is unacceptable for the local administrations, which are obligated to care for, treat and protect animals living on the street or in shelters, to sent these animals to laboratories for animal testing.

Speaking to bianet, Yağmur Özgür Güven, the Chair of Say No to Animal Testing Association, has referred to the ambiguity of the Law no. 5119 on the Law on Protection of Animals in terms of how it defines "the animal used and to be used in experiments':

"The legal regulations currently in effect prohibit the use of cats and dogs for experimental purposes. However, the Article 11/C of the Regulation as to the Working Procedures and Principles of Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments defines some exceptional cases in that regard. These exceptions make it possible that experimental studies can be conducted on 'stray' cats and dogs, depending on certain criteria.

"We know that some municipalities sent domestic animals, which they are obliged to protect, to laboratories for experiments before. For instance, the Presidency of Erciyes University has confirmed that the dogs used by a physician in his/her thesis for specialty in medicine was provided by the metropolitan municipality. With this project, we aim to prevent local administrations, which are also responsible for protecting animals among other things, from sending them to laboratories."

Güven has also called on all municipalities to become "a Municipality Without Animal Testing". (HA/SD)