The start of Turkey Animal Assist

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.

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.

Our work started in GOP, Ankara, in one street there are a large number of stray cats and dogs.

We are currently assisting a local animal-lover, Sebnem, in caring for eight stray puppies in a park in Ankara. Weighing and worming was done for internal parasites on the 26/10/2017 and flea treatment was applied on the 28/10/2017. These treatments have made a big difference as the puppies are no longer covered in fleas or full of worms. Our next step is to vaccinate for distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and leptosporosis. We plan to vaccinate for rabies when the puppies reach sufficient age. Desexing the puppies mother is also a priority.

The same lady caring for these puppies also feeds the local stray cats. We have also been helping to feed these cats with the aim to be able to catch the females in order to begin a desexing program.