The masterless dogs of Istanbul

In an attempt to clear the city streets of stray dogs, Istanbul's dog catchers moved the animals to the Beykoz Forest. The forest lies on they city's outskirts on the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus. Apart from a few dogs who have been taken into shelters, more than a thousand live in this canine wilderness.

A modern metropolis of 13.9 million: Istanbul's streets offer little room for stray dogs and cats. Many residents have traditionally fed and accepted their neighborhood strays. Yet the dogs also face abuse and are seen as unclean und aggressive.

A century ago, Sultan Mehmet V sent about 80,000 Turkish street dogs to an island in the Marmara Sea. The island provided neither water nor food for the dogs. Animal rights activists scall this one of the worst animal cruelty cases in Turkey's recent history.

Semra Tecimen is the founder of Goksu Home for Animal Lovers. She and a small team of volunteers feed and look after the banned strays of Beykoz Forest. "We love animals," she said in an interview with DW. Here, she carries a puppy in need of medical treatment.

The volunteers stop at an elementary school in Istanbul to collect discarded food. Volunteers from Goksu Home for Animal Lovers have been feeding stray dogs three days a week for the past seven years. The ten women take turns sorting food, feeding the dogs and attending to injuries or illness in the pack.

Each week, volunteers purchase 675 kilograms for 2000 Turkish Liras (760 euros) of dry dog food to supplement donations of leftover food from supermarkets and schools. The costs are partially offset by a stipend from the municipality. The rest is paid by the volunteers themselves, costs that include veterinary bills, gas and maintenance for the transport van.

The dogs are familiar with Istanbul's streets, according to Ahmet Kemal, an animal rights activist who opposes a proposed law that street dogs be moved to "wildlife parks" outside the city. In Istanbul, he says, "every neighborhood has its own dog, and if they are not aggressive animals, they can live with us."

The volunteers say the dogs have come to recognize the sound of their van that delivers food. They are urban dogs who have grown up depending on humans to feed them - or on the city's food waste to pillage.

Volunteer efforts are no solution to the problem. Manpower and finances are limited, and local authorities should be handling the matter. "We are all middle-aged women," says volunteer Ayse Sozer. "We are doing our best, and I'm hoping people will follow us this way."

A feast of donated food: a mixture of dry dog food and school cafeteria and butchershop leftovers - three times a week. Nevertheless, animal rights activists worry that a proposed law moving street dogs to "wildlife parks" would mean thousands would starve.

Animal welfare has a relatively strong backing in Turkey's activist scene. In March 2012, the political "Animal Party" was formed. Spokesman Neslihan Demir says they are pushing for a constitutional amendment that would outline protection for stray dogs.