A model for the future
“WAIT until you see it . . . it’s like nothing you’ve seen before,” enthused Girne Mayor Nidai Güngördü as he showed
around the municipality’s new animal shelter near the bypass below Karaman.
The facility, staffed by three municipal workers who take it in turns to feed the animals and clean and maintain the pound, currently holds up to 30 dogs.
They were either strays collected from Girne town centre, some of which were taken off the streets because of their “aggressive behaviour”, and others that had been “abused” by members of the public.
A controversial round-up of street dogs in January 2016 saw a dozen animals become the first to be taken to a temporary municipal shelter near St Hilarion Castle, but its remaining inhabitants have now been transferred to the purposebuilt facility.
“We had made a promise, and opening a shelter for the strays and abandoned animals was a priority for us . . . and we did it,” said Mr Güngördü as he spoke of his desire to “transform” the four-dönüm site — the first stage of which opened its gates in November — into a “habitat” spread over 10 dönüms of land.
The mayor, who was accompanied during the tour by three rescued dogs happily wagging their tails, said Girne Municipality had launched a new campaign to encourage those thinking of buying a dog to adopt one instead from the shelter.
“Being able to provide proper care towards the animals on the streets was a sensitive issue for us as we had many reports of those that were experiencing poor treatment by passers-by, or some that were acting aggressively and could have become a victim of poisoning,” said Mr Güngördü, who is seeking to retain his post in next month’s local elections.
“We even had pets taken from their owners because of mistreatment. They were fined up to four times the minimum wage.”
He claimed the shelter was the “first and only” to be built to TRNC Animal Welfare Law standards, at a cost of some 400,000TL including “extra expenses” such as electricity connections, lighting and roadworks.
Mr Güngördü said his next plan was to start on the second phase of the animal shelter before the winter — if he is re-elected — which would dramatically expand the shelter’s capacity to 500 dogs. The complex will eventually also feature its own veterinary clinic, a pet cemetery, an area where visitors can “socialise and walk with or without dogs” and a play area for the animals.
“The Kyrenia Animal Rescue (KAR) [centre at Arapköy] was the first ever shelter in the region,” Mr Güngördü noted.
“Although they have made great progress, we also had to take action against the rising population of stray and abandoned animals.
“We have neutered hundreds of dogs to date and will continue to do more with the help of vets.”
Mr Güngördü said that the shelter currently works in “collaboration” with the Öncan and Petcross veterinary clinics and Near East Animal Hospital.
It is also supported by the Cyprus Turkish Veterinarians’ Union and receives “advice and consultation” from KAR, as well as being supported by the Hope 4 Pets charity.
The Girne town hall incumbent took the opportunity to praise the “great support” the shelter has received from members of the local community, who have donated large amounts of tinned and dry dog food as well as “contributing towards the expenses” of the site.
He also thanked the “many schools and individuals” who have visited and spent time with the dogs.
Girne Municipality Health Department head Naile Soyel said: “Maintaining the standards of a shelter is so hard but we have managed to keep it at a high quality.
“From having a healthy and hygienic environment to ensuring the welfare of the animals . . . all our workers are very sensitive towards the cause and the care of these animals.”
Ms Soyel said the shelter had been a “great gain” for Girne and hoped that other councils would “follow this path as well” to “gradually eliminate the number of dogs abandoned on the streets”.