Turkey Animal Assist (TAA) provides desexing, vaccination and basic preventative health care to members of the large population of stray animals in Turkey. In doing so, TAA aims to address the core problem of a growing population of unwanted street animals and to alleviate suffering by:

​

-           Reducing the chance of treated animals contracting certain diseases

-          Reducing the chance of treated animals developing certain types of cancer and infections associated with                 remaining fertile (‘intact’)

-          Reducing the health strain on animals associated with constantly producing offspring

-          Reducing the negative impact on humans (such as the risk of contracting rabies)

​

TAA began in October 2017 as the result of founder, Dr Camilla Forss’s, relocation to Turkey. Since arriving, Camilla, an Australian Veterinarian, has been confronted with hundreds of unwanted dogs and cats fending for themselves on the streets, subject to hunger, abuse and disease and in dire need of basic health care. Whilst dedicated individuals and small groups of animal-lovers care for stray animals in their communities – largely by providing food and water – dealing with the ever-expanding population is an enormous task. In response, some councils use poisoning or the capture and dumping of animals - management tools which further exacerbate the suffering of these animals.

​

Whilst less cruel, the animal shelters that do exist are often overwhelmed by the demand. Whilst they are manned by staff doing the best they can, there is simply not enough food or funding to provide adequate care – meaning that animals in shelters are often malnourished and stricken with a range of infectious diseases that spread in such environments.

​

In grappling with these issues, TAA is adopting a ‘neuter and release’ model, with a particular focus on the female population – typically more expensive and more complex to treat than the male population, and hence under-represented in the stray animal progams that do exist. A single, intact female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years whilst a single, intact female cat and her offspring can produce 370,000 kittens in seven.

​

Apart from addressing the underlying problem of the expanding population of unwanted animals in Turkey, desexing, vaccination and the provision of basic health care can have a dramatic effect on the individual animal’s quality of life. For us at TAA, that’s an outcome worth striving for.