Animals abused on the streets or in shelters
This Valentine’s Day, a local animal charity has urged people looking for the perfect gift to avoid buying animals as presents.
The Animal Rights Foundation’s “Don’t take part in this shame” campaign notes that every holiday, especially Valentine’s Day, thousands of animals are given as gifts but end up in shelters or on the streets after the recipients are unwilling or unable to care for them. The organization urges the public not to buy animals as gifts.
Nesrin Çıtırık, deputy head of the Animal Rights Federation, or HAYTAP, said they find many animals abused on the streets or in shelters, where they face bad conditions, after their owners get bored or decide they cannot feed them anymore.
Çıtırık said one of the reasons that the stray animal population is so high is because people buy animals as a gift without asking if the recipient would like the responsibility of an animal or considering whether the new owners are ready to feed and care for an animal.
This happens especially often on special occasions, such as a child’s success in school, a birthday or Valentine’s Day.
