Hear Our Plea !
Look at me, homeless, and hungry,
I needed your compassion to survive,
or the comforting hand of mercy
to help ease my life of strife.
Look at my struggling brothers and sisters; Can't you hear the plea in
our anguised voice? The conditions of our meager existance
wasn't necessarily ours by choice.
Many once had homes and families
but, were discarded, abandoned, or abused, until we found country
fields,
and city streets to act as our refuge.
Look at our unwanted children;
Each day our numbers rise,
Yet, you say our population must be reduced, and your solution is our
demise.
Don't we deserve your humane intervention? To be treated with kindness,
and respect? Instead of the outcasts of your community killed, and
mistreated through neglect?
Look upon me for the last time..
Won't you take pity on this gentle face?
before I slowly draw my last breath....
At the hands of the human race.
Kat © 2005
(This poem was inspired by and written especially for these dogs in Turkey, Thank You so much Kat ! )
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Help the stray animals in Sivas
Today, I give up being human.
Today, I refuse to be called a human.
Today, I do not wish to belong to the same race that calls themselves human, that measure their humanity by the compassion they feel only toward humans...
If your value of humanity:
Is measured by the compassion you feel only toward humans;
If your value of humanity:
Is measured by what people think and the egoistic satisfaction you feel when you help;
If your value of humanity:
Is measured by the help you pursue out of "what would people think otherwise";
Then please do not call me human.
You, who call themselves humans:
You, who watch their own reflections from the store windows when they walk down the street,
but never see the sick dog on the same street, or simply ignore and look away;
You, who somehow cannot bear to see or hear the violence towards animals, but can very well tolerate to see a person who has raped 80 women, or a person that does anything for money;
You, who do not want to hear when people try to explain how horrible the situation really is, who cannot tolerate to hear the torture, but can very well tolerate all the violence and lack of human values, cheatings, lies on the talk shows on tv.
Please, stay away from me..
Today, I have in front of me, the pictures of the dogs of Sivas Shelter, Turkey.
I keep thinking that I have to control myself.
I have to control myself, because we, the animal-lovers are known to be out-of-control and act out. In every reaction, you can be called a crazy person by the public. And the fact that they never listen, never take you seriously, tell you to stop worrying so much about animals and quit what you're doing, get a life...
All the dogs were kept in an enclosed open field. This past Tuesday, Jan 25, 2005, a bunch of drunks trespass into the shelter, rape the mother dogs and their puppies, beat the dogs until dead, rip their chests open... The beer and liquor bottles are scattered all around, and nobody understands today what that mother dog feels..
I, being human, cannot understand all of these acts, my heart burns, my soul disintegrates... But what do I need to do? Control myself...
Because:
Because the ones who call themselves "human" choose to act like none of this ever happened.
Because they cannot tolerate it
Because they don't want to see it.
Because they don't want to hear it.
Because if I lose control, if I exhibit the slightest loss of control, the animals will be the ones to pay again... I will be hurting them in the long run...
So what am I supposed to do?
They are there...
They have been raped till they died.
They were killed...
Their mothers watched...
The mothers took the volunteers to their puppies, showed them the corpses...
These mothers have in their bodies the sperms of the ones who call themselves "human", and in their souls, agony...
Today, they are there..
You are reactionless..
Because they are not human...
Because caring for them does not give you enough social credibility...
Because in your culture, when you care for animals, that does not make you a "good person, an angel, compassionate"...
In your newspaper columns, you continue to argue "I prefer to help a human child rather than a dog". You feel you won the debate against animal lovers with an unreasonable and pointless comparison. Triumphantly, you say "I say humans first..."
Did we ask you "who first?"...
The pictures ( below ) were taken in Sivas shelter past Wednesday... Below is the email of the volunteer who saw this first-hand.
I am not asking you "Who first?". I am only telling you this:
First, the questioning mother in the picture!
First, the babies that were raped!
First, these souls, who don't have the ability to stand up for their rights like "humans"can..
Today, first, only them...
Ozgun Ozturk
For further information - please contact Ozgun Ozturk, Izmir Dohayko
Dear Friends,
Some of you have heard the name "sivas" with the raping incident in the unfinished shelter, where the mother dog and her puppies were raped to death by people who broke in. You will find the pictures of that mum and puppies attached.
Today we have more bad news about Sivas. We learned that Üüstray animals in Sivas are being exiled to the city dump 20 kms away from the city with no food or water given. Attached you will find the heart-wrenching pictures.
Please send the letter (below) to the Sivas Mayor, help us.
Best Regards,
Ozgun Ozturk
Izmir Dohayko
April 26th., 2005
SAMPLE LETTER:
TO: hcanpolat@sivas.gov.tr
CC: dib@basbakanlik.gov.tr; merkal@tbmm.gov.tr; cumhurbaskanligi@tccb.gov.tr; aaksu@icisleri.gov.tr; gsekreter@icisleri.gov.tr; mustesarlik@icisleri.gov.tr; Euro-Ombudsman@europarl.eu.int; delegation-turkey@cec.eu.int; nesrin_citirik@hotmail.com; kayhan.kavas@icisleri.gov.tr; bakan@cevreorman.gov.tr; mustafa61@yahoo.com; makincioglu@mynet.com; profzeynep@yahoo.com; info@kulturturizm.gov.tr; info@turizm.gov.tr; basin@kulturturizm.gov.tr; ozelkalem@kulturturizm.gov.tr; disiliskiler@kulturturizm.gov.tr; info@mfa.gov.tr; bilgiedinme@mfa.gov.tr; dhizlan@hurriyet.com.tr; defne.samyeli@showtv.com.tr; anahaber@atv.com.tr; 'bovacik@hurriyet.com.tr'; bcoskun@hurriyet.com.tr; management@atlasjet.com; publicrelations@atlasjet.com; kurumsal@etstur.com; alimanti@sivas.gov.tr; aceliloz@sivas.gov.tr; narslan@sivas.gov.tr; ilker@sivas.gov.tr; ozelkalem@sivas.gov.tr; cetinozdemir@sivas.gov.tr; info@sivas.gov.tr; ozgun@weblebi.com; ntezer@cumhuriyet.edu.tr
Dear Dr. Hasan Canpolat
Honorable Mayor of Sivas, Turkey
It has been brought to our attention that the stray animals in Sivas are being exiled to the city dump 20 kms away from the city with no food or water given. We have received the heart-wrenching pictures today.
Sivas has also been in the news with the raping incident in the unfinished shelter, where the mother dog and her puppies were raped to death by people who broke in.
The inhumane treatment of Sivas animals are not only against the Animal Protection Bill number 5199, but also against all laws of religions, love of God and dignity, honor and compassion. It is these very values that makes us "human".
The animals, healthy or sick, are left to die of thirst and hunger in this god forsaken dumpster.
Municipality of Sivas is going against all local and national animal protection laws, collecting all the homeless animals and dumping them to the city dumpster 20 kms away from the city, leaving these poor animals to die of thirst and hunger.
The responsibility of the stray animals is given primarily to the local authorities. It is clearly mentioned in the Bill 5199, as well as the letters from the ministry of health.
Please assess the treatment of the municipality of the city of which you are the mayor of, in the light of all the Animal Protection Laws as well as a "human" with a heart.
Gandhi says "the morality of a nation can be judjed by the way its animals are treated".
Please rest assured that we will notify the higher authorities of all these illegal actions of the authorities in Sivas. We will also take these to the international platforms. Sivas mayoral jurisdiction, as well as City Environmental Unit and City Agricultural Unit are at fault for "neglect of the duties".
The inhumane treatment of these homeless animals will haunt both you, the authorities, and us, the people who remain silent.
We hereby kindly request the situation be improved in a humane and compassionate way through your orders.
YOUR NAME/ORGANISATION:
CITY:
COUNTRY :
THE PHOTOS: WARNING
Don't turn your back upon their pain
because its hard to see
they have no other place to turn,
They've only you and me. .....
*************************
Dear Friends,
We thank you for your urgent protest. We thank you for all you have done for Turkish animals and shelters. l want to give some information about Dohayko and myself.
DOHAYKO (Animal and Nature Protection Organization), whose board members consist of reputable businessmen and businesswomen, has gained its non-profit charity identity by working with the local shelters and other non-profit animal welfare organizations.
DOHAYKO is a member of "Unity of Active Force", a coalition of 50 non-profit animal welfare organizations with the motto:
We cannot save them as " I ",
let's join forces and become " We ".
Realizing that Islam religion is one of the major factors that affect human behavior and perception in Turkey, DOHAYKO teamed up with the Dean of the
Theology and Religious Studies Department of Cukurova University, Prof. Dr. Ali Osman Ates to help raising awareness and promoting the love of
animals .
Izmir DOHAYKO was formed to support all animal and nature lovers, volunteers, shelters and animal welfare organizations in Izmir.
It targets uniting all persons and organizations associated with animal welfare in Izmir, with the motto
We cannot save them as " I ",
let's join forces and become " We "
IZMIR DOHAYKO is a member of the City of Izmir, Animal Protection Counsel reporting to the mayor of Izmir, based on the Turkish Animal Protection
Bill number 5199.
Please keep supporting us. We gain strength with your emails...
Best regards and with love,
Ozgun Ozturk
President of Izmir Dohayko
Member of the Animal Welfare Counsel in the City of Izmir
Member of Haytap
Founding Member of the Stray Angels Association
January 28, 2007
Incompetence
As we pointed out to Mr. Verheugen during our meeting last week, the experience of Ormangazi, in Bursa, is not the norm, but a very remarkable exception.
Municipal shelters are normally run by poorly trained and unmotivated workers, prone to animal abuse and situations like the one we witnessed recently in Kusadasi, where the shelter workers went on holiday and "forgot" to provide water and food for the hundreds of dogs under their care.
The result? the starving and dehydrated animals started attacking and eating each other.
Excuses? Many. Everybody has a excuse... lack of funds, issue low priority in the political agenda, exhacerbated nationalistic tendencies, etc... We are particular dismayed at the usual shrugging of the shoulders followed by: "This is Turkey!... some things will never change".
Whatever it is, events like Kusadasi are, in the end, responsibility the local Mayors that must force abject Municipal officials to fully comply with the law. People like Arif Eker, the Head of the Istanbul Veterinary Department, more worried about keeping their cosy jobs than about solving the stray dog problem, must understand they singlehandedly working towards damaging the image of this wonderful country.
This is Turkey... some things MUST change.
Regards
Linda Taal
Stichting ActieZwerfhonden
