On Tuesday, Turkey's parliament passed a law designed to gather millions of stray dogs and place them in shelters, a move that has sparked concern among animal advocates who believe a widespread neutering program would be a more effective approach. The legislation, put forth by President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK party, mandates that municipalities remove stray dogs from the streets and house them in shelters. Dogs exhibiting aggressive behavior or suffering from incurable diseases will be euthanized. Previously, municipalities were required to neuter and vaccinate all street dogs and then release them back to their original locations post-treatment. The estimated number of street dogs in Turkey is around 4 million, with approximately 2.5 million neutered over the past two decades, as per the draft bill. These animals are frequently cared for by local residents and treated as pets. Currently, there are 322 animal shelters capable of accommodating 105,000 dogs, according to the bill. The law also stipulates that all municipalities must allocate at least 0.3% of their annual budget to animal rehabilitation services and shelter construction. Municipalities will have until 2028 to construct new shelters and upgrade existing ones, as stated by the law. In recent weeks, thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest the law, sometimes clashing with police.