Local Officials Rush Help To Stray Animals In Istanbul During Lockdown

Bahar Cetinkaya and her three-member team took the streets in Istanbul on Saturday, with a car filled with dry animal food, as the city is under lockdown for the weekend due to COVID-19.

"Throughout the day, we will tour the district to ensure that stray animals are not left hungry and dehydrated during the two-day curfew," Cetinkaya told Xinhua, noting that they have special permission from the governorate which enables them to go out during lockdowns.

Cetinkaya and her colleagues are working for the Kadikoy Municipality, one of Istanbul's crowded districts on the Asian side. Apart from their everyday tasks, they have been continuously taking care of stray animals since the first coronavirus case was seen in the city and Turkey last month, forcing people to stay at their homes.

The municipality has recently designated a particular call center that receives the reports of the citizens about the condition of stray animals.

A staff member working for the Kadikoy Municipality, one of Istanbul's crowded districts on the Asian side, takes care of the stray cats, on 18 April 2020. (Xinhua)

In her view, the sole burden of feeding them is now on the shoulders of local officials.

Kucukkaya pays 150 Turkish liras (around 22 U.S. dollars) for 20 kg of dog supplies and 120 liras (17 dollars) for cat food.

"Before the outbreak, we were able to collect some food residue from hotels or restaurants, but now they are all closed," she also said, complaining about the high prices in the stores.

Turkey's first lockdown was imposed on April 11 and 12, aiming at preventing people from going out as weather conditions across the country improved.

Turkey has so far recorded 78,546 coronavirus cases and 1,769 deaths, according to the latest data released by the health ministry.