Yeni salgın: Hayvanlar üzerinden ırkçılık! – A new disease, Animal Nationalism!

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Racist Brain
Racist Brain

Yeni salgın: Hayvanlar üzerinden ırkçılık!

Kimi zaman insanlar soruyor: Sana göre bu ülkenin en büyük sorunu ne?

Türkiye muhteşem bir yer. Her yerden zekâ, enerji ve gençlik dolup taşıyor. Son derece konuk sever harika insanlar. Burada olduğum için gerçekten çok mutluyum.

Yine de toplumdaki en endişe verici olgunun, bence, hangisi olduğunu söylemem gerekirse cevabım açık: Aşırı-milliyetçilik.

Aşırı-milliyetçilik ve yabancı düşmanlığı (ksenofobi) bu topraklarda doğmadı. Bu kavram insanoğlu kadar eski. Aşırı-milliyetçilik ve yabancı düşmanlığı, ilkel toplumlarda, toplumu işgalci yabancılardan korumak amacıyla oluştu/oluşturuldu (söyleniyor ya da tahmin ediliyor). Ancak sorun şu ki, bu kavram pratikte hiçbir zaman yürümedi. Toplumu güçlendirmesi gerekirken onu zayıflattı. Zayıflattı çünkü tanımı, toplumu oluşturan insanları kısıtlıyordu. Sonuçta aşırı-milliyetçi bu düşman görüşü benimseyen kişiler, toplumun en alt kademesinde, “öteki”ne karşı her daim bir nefret (ve korku) besleyerek marjinal bireyler olarak yaşamayı seçtiler. Ve yalnız ve yalnız kendi bakış açıları paylaşan kişilerle iletişim kurabildiler.

Aşırı-milliyetçilik bu ülkeye has bir olgu olmasa da, benim gördüğüm kadarıyla, yalnızca Türkiye ve Yunanistan’da var olan bir kavram var: “Yabancı düşmanı-ırkçı hayvan sever”

Türkiye’deki hayvan severlerden bir kısmının nasıl olup da böyle bir delilik seviyesine inebildiği beni aşıyor. Üzücü olan nokta şu ki, böyle bir kesim var. Nasıl olur da zavallı ve acı çeken bir sokak köpeğini aşırı-milliyetçi bir sembole dönüştürebilirsiniz?.. Gerçek ve tek amacı hayvan kurtarmak olan bir eğilimi/hareketi nasıl olur da hayvan ölülerinin başında aşırı-milliyetçi ağıtlar yakılan bir gösteriye dönüştürürsünüz?.. Bunlar beni kat be kat aşıyor.

Türkiye’deki “hayvan hareketi”nin arkasındaki karanlık sır işte bu. Sayıları hiç de azımsanamayacak rakamları bulan bu kişiler, içlerinde en ufak bir sevgi kırıntısı ya da yaşam hakkına saygı barındırmadan, yalnızca toplumda bir yer edinebilmek, bir “kesim”e ait olabilmek adına bu yola giriyorlar. Hayvanlara yardım etmek isteyenlerin büyük çoğunluğu, sevecen ve her zaman yardıma hazır harika insanlarla tanışıyor. Ancak birkaç talihsiz kişi, yanlış yola sapıp yanlış gruplarda kayboluyor: Bu gruplar nefret ve “öteki”ne duyulan korkuyla hareket ediyor. Öyle ki kendi kendine yetemeyen bu kişiler, aralarında canavar yabancıların Türk hayvanları üzerinden çıkar sağlamaları ve sokak köpeklerini Çin lokantalarına satmaları vs gibi komplo teorileri bile üretiyorlar. Bir komplo kuramcısının hayal gücü sınır tanımaz…

Bu hastalığın tedavisi yok. Ancak öyle görünüyor ki hastalık, aileleri tarafından kalıtsal olarak beyinlerine kazınan birkaç kişiden öteye de gitmiyor. Sorun şu ki, buradaki problem yalnızca genetik değil. Birkaç kişiyle sınırlı kalabilecek olan bu hastalık, Internet aracılığıyla bulaşıcı ve yaygın bir hal alıyor.

Yukarıda okuduğunuz yazının hiçbir bilimsel dayanağı yok. Tek kaynağı, yaklaşık yedi yıldır bu ülkede yaşamanın ve başta ve özellikle hayvanların refahı olmak üzere tüm ülke sorunlarını yakından takip etmemin bana öğrettikleri. Tam altı yıldır bu hasta beyinlerin içi boş saçma sapan komplo teorilerini dinliyorum. Kim olduklarını açıklamak isterdim ancak o kadar kalabalıklar ki!..

Sahip Çıkalım!.. ile neden bu kadar övündüğümü, gurur duyduğumu biliyor musunuz? Hepinizle gurur duyuyorum… Öncelikle kurtardığınız hayvanlar ve harika hikâyeleri ve ikinci olarak da toplumda geldiğimiz nokta için… Ancak gururumun en önemli ve ana nedeni, bu grubun beni sizler gibi insanlarla buluşturması ve her gün hayat kurtarıyor olmamız. Yalnız hayvan hayatından söz etmiyorum burada. Aynı zamanda, milliyeti bir “kriter” olarak görmeyen hayvan sahiplerini, Sahip Çıkalım!.. aracılığıyla, en büyük desteği alacağı hayvan dostlarıyla bir araya getiriyoruz. Sizler gibi insanlar…

İşte bu yüzden, Sahip Çıkalım!..’ın bugün dünyanın her köşesinden üyesi var. Sekiz ayrı ülkede aktif olarak hayat kurtarıyoruz (Sahip Çıkalım!.. Fransa dün kuruldu.) Türk-temelli hiçbir grup bu başarıya ulaşamadı ya da bu kadar kalabalık bir deha ve gönül grubu oluşturamadı.

İşte bu yüzden Sahip Çıkalım!..’ı seviyorum.

Lütfen yorum ve fikirlerinizi çekinmeden yazın.

Viktor Larkhill

——–

Hrant Dink killed by nationalisms
Hrant Dink, killed by nationalisms

A new disease: Animal nationalism!

Sometimes people ask me: What do you see as the biggest problem of this country?

Turkey is a wonderful place, filled to the brim with bright, energetic, young things. Wonderful hospitable people. I truly love it here.

Still, when people ask me which one is, to me, the most worrying aspect of this society my answer is clear: ultra-nationalism.

Ultra-nationalism and xenophobia was not invented here, it is something as old as human beings. It developed in the early societies as a way to protect the group against invaders (supposedly or imaginary). The problem is, it never worked. Instead of making societies stronger it weakened them as by definition this attitude limits those who endorse it. As a result, those who sponsor ultra-nationalistic tend to live in the lowest echelons of society, marginalized individuals living in hate (and fear) of the outsider, and only being able to communicate with those who harbor their same views.

Whilst ultra-nationalism is not exclusive of this country, there is a movement which, to my knowledge, is exclusive of Turkey and Greece, and that is the “racist-xenophobic animal lover”.

How did a number of animal lovers in this country descended into such madness is beyond me. The sad fact is, they did. How can you turn an poor and suffering stray dog into an ultra-nationalistic symbol? How can twist the essence of the animal rescue movement to a point where around the dying corpses of animals you manage to scream ultra nationalist anthems is completely beyond me.

This is the dark secret of the turkish animal welfare movement. A great number of those who go into this cause do so no guided by love and respect for living creatures, but as a way to fit into society, to find their way into a group of people. The vast majority of those who reach out will find wonderful compassionate people, always willing to help, but a few unlucky ones will fall into the wrong groups, groups motivated by hate and fear of the foreigner, where a bunch of inadequate individuals exchange conspiracy theories about evil foreigners using Turkish animals for their own gain, selling stray dogs to Chinese restaurants, etc.. etc.. etc.. the imagination of a conspiracy theorist is endless…

There is no cure to this ill, as it seems to be a condition genetically engraved in the diminished brains of a few. The problem is, it is not only genetic, thanks to the internet, it has turned contagious, infectious.

What you have read is by no means supported by scientific evidence, it is merely the outcome of close to seven years of living and breathing the problems of this country, and in particular the issues related to animal welfare. Six years of listening to the mad ramblings of sick people and their conspiracy theories. I would love to give names, but there are so many of them…

You know why I am so proud of Let’s Adopt!? I’m proud of you all not only because of the amazing success stories, the animals saved, the influence we have achieved in this society, the main reason why I am so proud of this group has enabled me to find people like you, and because every day we are saving lives, not only animal lives, but the lives of those animal lovers who, through us, find a great support group of people for whom nationality doesn’t matter. People like you.

And this is why, today, Let’s Adopt! has members all over the world and officially operates in 8 countries (we launched Let’s Adopt (France) yesterday. No turkish-based animal group has achieved this feat, no turkish group has gathered such brilliant group of minds and hearts.

This is why I love Let’s Adopt!.

Feel free to leave a comment HERE

Viktor Larkhill

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25 comments on “Yeni salgın: Hayvanlar üzerinden ırkçılık! – A new disease, Animal Nationalism!Add yours →

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  1. Cenk Karayazgan says:

    Wowww, I wrote a comment about racism and at the end I wrote “Hrant Dink rest in peace beautiful human” it just came from my heart, 30 min. later I saw this blog. Well said BRAVO

  2. vuslat çamkerten says:

    Thanks for adding Hrant here…
    HE WAS A GREAT MAN…

  3. PANAGIOTIS PANAGIOTIDIS says:

    …true to the word. also, after over 15 years of active involvement in animals welfare (greece), it’s very funny that the worst and most hateful letters we got was from people that suppose to love the animals and not from people that don’t !!!.

  4. irkcilik ve asiri milliyetcilik, su an türkiye’de koktendincilikten bile daha büyük bir tehlike… cunku hem tabandan hem de tavandan yani devletten besleniyor. cunku, egitimsiz (bazen de eğitimli), buyuk bir çogunlugun devlet desteğiyle semirmesi, ‘kudurmasi’ ve palazlanmasi sozkonusu burada. dincilere ve azinliklara karsi cikmak adina, devletin de destegini alarak palazlaniyorlar. oyle ki, ya dincisin, ya da fasistsin noktasina geldi ulkede durum, çok korkutucu. ha, bir de ucuncu secenek var tabii, eger azinliklardan yana tavir aliyorsan da terorist ya da vatan hainisin! en ürkütücü olan hangisi bilemiyorum.

    irkcilik ve milliyetcilik en kolay yandas bulan eğilimdir cunku egitimli olmayi, okumayi, arastirmayi gerektirmez. insanlari, herkesin bizim düsmanimiz olduguna ve surekli olarak kendimizi savunmak durumunda oldugumuza inandirmak için de çok çaba harcamak gerekmez, çünkü ilkokuldan beri devlet tarafindan bu yonde sartlandiriliriz. buyudukce kafasi calismaya baslayanlar, algilari gelisenler, neyin dogru oldugunu okuyup arastirip ogrenir, ama her zaman oldugu gibi azinlik olarak kalirlar. çogunluk da maalesef ilkokul bilgilerinin uzerine tek bir fikir bile koymadan sozde yetiskin insanlar olurlar. eskiden sadece yerlesik azinliklara karsi dusmanlik vardi, hatta avrupalilar için de “pozitif ayrimcilik” sozkonusuydu, ki ayrimcilik ayrimciliktir pozitifi de kotudur negatifi de… fakat artik farketmiyor, herkes “dusman”!

    sonucta en uç noktada da, sadece hayvan haklariyla ugrasiyor olmasina ragmen, sirf yabanci oldugu icin bir insana “defol git ulkene” demeye kadar variyor. bu mantikla, bunu diyen insan, çin’deki hayvanlara yapilan zulüme karsi da duyarsiz kalabilir demek ki.. oyle ya, bize ne, o kopekler bizim değil! hatta o kopekler bile türklere dusman olabilir, bizi bolmeye calisiyor olabilirler. :))

  5. There are people in this country and over the world with their lost souls. Nature of the human..
    They are those, who have no chance but to embrace “ideas” like nationalism, religon etc. instead of to love, to give, to help, to be there for others which is the main requirement for being human..
    Suppose being like this is a great way of filling the blanks of one’s identity. When you act your part as a “patriot” who pretends to hate “one” because of him/her being from another nation but in fact for different reasons, you might get some fans, sure, why not when you think it is one and only “chance” you’ll ever get.. Understandable..

    So bad..
    So sad..
    Heart is a place has no borders, you can fill it with love and it’ll never be full.. Unlimited capacity..

    Only if they knew it..

  6. ahu bukulmez says:

    ırkçı-hayvansever tanımlamasına katılmıyorum çünkü ırkçı olan bir insanın hayvan sevmesi mümkün olamaz.Kendi türünden canlılara kin ve nefret duygularına sahip varlıklar nasıl olurda başka türden bir canlıya karşı sevgi vemerhamet duygularına sahip olsunlar.bu mümkün değil çünkü zaten bu duygulara sahip değildirler.ırkçılık gerçekten çok tehlikeli ve bu işe hayvanların alet edilmesi beni gerçekten fazlasıyla endişelendiriyor ve üzüyor.

  7. Ayhan Özen says:

    madem türksün göster üsrksün

  8. melikeizat says:

    Hayvanları ileri sürerek böyle ırkçı bir alegori yapılması çok yanlış. Farklı kültürleri kabul edebiliriz. Çeşitlilik güzeldir.
    Ben pek ayrımında olmasam da ‘ırk’ların varolduğuna bile inanmıyorum. Zaten evrimi ve dünyanın jeolojik zamanını algılayınca bunun ne kadar önemsiz olduğu ortada. Harika bir gezegende yaşıyoruz ama havada öyle bir gerilim var ki..insanlar son derece karamsar. Kötü yönetimden, geçmişteki savaşlar yüzünden, gelecek için kaygılı. Bu duygular insanların ruhlarına egemen olmuş. Ben kendimi bunların dışında tutmaya çalışıyorum ve bu olumsuzlukları edilgenlikle kabul etmiyorum.

  9. öncelikle karikatür için çok teşekkürler. anlamlıyıdı. yazına gerekçe olan olaylar nedir bilmiyorum ama gözlemlerin çok doğru . daha eski yıllarda milliyetçilik aşırı sağa özgü bir yaklaşımdı. ama son yıllarda ne yazık ki solda da müthiş destek görüyor. kavramlar karmakarışık. duyarlılığın için tekrar teşekkürler.

  10. Sevgili Viktor!
    Yukaridaki yazinin ne yazikki senin de belirttigin gibi bir dayanagi bulunmadigi cok acik,guzel seyler yaparken hata yapmak hos degil..Sana bu konuyu baska bir zamanda dile getirmek isterdim ama bu yazina suskun kalmak mumkun degil.Kisaca ozetliyeyim.
    1-Milliyetcilik asla Turklere has bir olgu olmamisdir yada extreme milliyetcilik diyelim daha dogru olur,yoksa herkes yasadigi topraklari ortami sever bu bir suc degil olmamasi yanlis bir durumdur.Sen 7 senedir yasadigin ulkeyi sevdigini soylerken sorun yok ama burda dogmus olan ben bunu soylersem milliyetci hatta irkci olabiliyorum,enteresan!Aslinda asil milliyetciligin tam anlamini gormek icin Fransayi bir gormek gerek derim.
    2-Hayvanlar uzerinden rant yapilmasi konusuna gelince:sana istemedigin kadar ornek var eger gercekten gormek istersen seni Dalyana beklerim.!!Yerli yabanci bircok rantci bulmak cok kolay.Buradaki hayvanlar icin yurtdisindan bile gonderilen cesitli yardim butceleri olmasina ragmen ortada kiytirik bir barinak bile yok!!
    3-Dalyanda cesitli ulkelerden emekli insanlarin beraberce yasadigi Carettalariyla meshur sakli cennet olarak da!! bilinen bir beldemiz.Ama hayvan katliamlari disari sizmaz ve hatta bunu yapan yabancilarsa hic sizmaz.Kendi aralarinda acikca Dalyanin kopeklerden arindirilacagini sahipli sahipsiz zehirleneceklerini utanmadan yazabiliyorlar.Yine yabanci uyruklu dostlarla elimezden geldigince hayvanlara yardimci olmaya calisirken bunlar karsisinda tepki verince irkci hayvansever olunuyorsa adalet duyguna hayranligimi gizleyemiyecegim.Benim icin katilin kimligi olamaz!Hele ki,kendi ulkesinde insanlar sadece kopekleri oldugu icin mustakil oldugu halde ev kiralamak istediklerinde bir grup yabanci tarafindan tehdit edilerek hayati zorlasdiriliyorsa buna tepki vermenin milliyetcilikle alakasi olamaz..yanlis bir yorundasin.Biz irkci olsaydik ispanyadan kacan 50000 yahudiye Irakdan kacan onbinlerce pesmergeye kucak acmazdik!Sen kendi evinde komsunun gelip patirti cikarmasina musade etmiyorsan irkci olmazsin sanirim.
    Bu konuda bircok ornek var eger bilmek istersen Dalyan`i biraz kurcalamani tavsiye ederim.Almanyadan gelen butcenin buradaki sorumlusu emekli milletvekilince nereye gittigini,yabanci bir hayvanseverin aldigi arsanin nerede oldugunu,buraya akan paralara ragmen neden surekli zehirlenerek,kafasi kesilerek,yakilarak bir suru zavalli telef ediliyor burda??Bunlari yapanin ulusu benim icin farketmez ben bu canilerle ayni ortamda yasamak istemiyorum!!
    Eger goreceklerine katlanabileceksen buraya bekleriz zira burda hayvanlar gercek anlamda zulum altinda.Sana daha once de bir anna ve yavrusu icin yazmisdim ama hicbir sekilde bana cevap vermedin umarim bu sefer verebilirsin!
    Deniz Erenpayeli

  11. idil uzun says:

    sadece hayvanseverlerinmi? bütün insanlıgın en büyük sorundur bu..aşılması gereken,aşılamaması beni cok ürküten bir sorun..umarım ileride daha büyüdügümde,bunuda görebilirim,böyle salak seylerin aşıldıgını..
    hayaller,hayaller:)

  12. Merve Yaprak says:

    Really great post 🙂
    No matter which nationality are you.. If you have a love for animals in your heart, welcome our big Let’s Adopt!.. family 🙂

  13. So sad that some are so narrow minded. People inviolved in animal welfare should do all they can to help animals and that includes involving other people from different parts of the world, if necessary. You have developed Lets Adopt in other countries which is a huge achievement, you have saved countless animals from a life of misery, suffering and death. This is what is important, saving animals!!!!!!! I have seen videos of animals suffering in Turkey and it broke my heart, surely, those who live in Turkey, should embrace you and others who want to help and make the lives of the dogs and cats of Turkey better.

    Come on now all you Turkish people, stop the fighting and the bickering and get down to what is important – SAVING ANIMALS from suffering and misery. PLEASE, PLEASE stop this.

    Turkey is not the only country which has a problem with strays, there are MANY others, so accept help when it is offered, it is nothing to be ashamed of.

    Viktor cares about the animals of Turkey and this is what is important. You have to learn to trust him. Do whats right for the animals of Turkey, their lives depend on it.

  14. Congraculations Viktor,you light a fire! To save animals has to be seperate from politics points..!!!If you want to save animals keep yourself and your stuff out of politics,otherwise you can give wrong informations,you can not judge all Turkey if you have problem with someone.Time ll show all rights..

  15. Özlem Karakaş says:

    what a coincidence that you wrote about (ultra)nationalism and racism – a matter that’s bothering me a lot nowadays. if you were just a tourist, you would probably leave the country with a delusion of how friendly, hospitable and fair the turkish people are. if you were a tourist!.. the funny thing is, many turkish people live with that delusion and trust me, they believe it by heart. i think the reason is, they don’t really know the boundries between being a racist and a patriotic. but in fact, they can’t even tolerate people, who’ve been residents of the territory for ages and fought together with them in order to establish this country and have exactly the same rights with any turkish person. you see what i mean?
    unfortunately, facebook made me identify my friends again which abandoned me to despair.
    and about xenophobia; in turkey many have a tendency of being discreet (which we call “kasaba ahlakı”, roughly translated as “small town ethics”). that means, no matter what the hell, don’t let anyone learn about it 😉

  16. aysel ciftci says:

    Milliyet ne zaman sorgulanması ve vazgecilmesı gereken olumsuz bır kavram oldu anlayamıyorum.. Elbette milletimi ve yasadigim topraklari severim, tartisilmaya acilmasini ve milliyetciligimizi sorgulamak hickimsenin haddi degildir..
    Irkciliga gelince yedi yildir ulkemin topraklarinda yasayan sevgili Viktor, gecmis tarihimiz ve biraz da Mevlana felsefesi hakkinda bilgilenmeni tavsiye ederim..

    Yukarida bir arkadas Fransizlarin irkciligindan sozetmis, ona katildigim gibi Almanlarin irkciligini da eklemek isterim..

    Siz hicbir Fransiza, Almana, Avusturyaliya, Amerikaliya onlarin topraklarinda misafir olarak yasarken irkcilik veya milliyetcilik suclamasi yapamazsiniz..Ne kadar hosgorulu bir milletiz ki Cumhuriyetimizin kurucusu olan Ata’mizin ilkelerinden birisi olan milliyetciligimizi sorgulamaniza bile gulumseyerek, sabirla yanit veriyoruz.

    Topraklarimizda yasayan hayvanlarimizin yurtdisina gonderilmesi konusunda elbette endiseliyiz..Nedenine gelince asagidaki linkte gorulecek olan siddeyi, vahseti bizler bu topraklarda dogmus, yasayan hayvanlara uygulamiyoruz..Bu belgeselde ulkemizden goruntuler yok..

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6361872964130308142#

  17. How someone can make animal welfare a nationalist issue has always baffled me. If people really loved their country and loved the animals in it, they would take every opportunity offered to change things, no matter what the source. There is no shame in using all the tools available to improve the conditions of animals. What is shameful is letting the situation continue because of fear.

  18. Fotini Karagiorgou says:

    All I can think off is that aren’t we all so damn tired of this hatred? I know I am. I am sick an tired of narrow minded people judging me because of my color, nationality, language, income, even my dog! And even today I feel an outcast saying that I do not feel any hatred against any nation, Turks, Albanians, Bulgarians anyone. I feel bad about individuals that hurt others.
    One would think that living so close for so many centuries would have made us more empathetic and more friendly to one another. Nooooo! we are that stupid. We allow our lowest feelings of all to poison us and hold us back. Can you imagine what we could have done working together instead of fighting? How many wasted human lives… How much wasted time… And even now, do we learn from history? I guess not…
    But, I still have hope, I have made many FB friends through Lets Adopt and I hope that they will become more.
    Thank you for your article Viktor.
    Be all well
    A Greek, with half a Turkish last name

  19. To Dear Animal Lovers, please read carefully;

    As we know, whatever the system of government has been, Turkey gets along well with capitalism for decades. Our country has been really unique throughout history. Warfare, patriarchal society and martial structure of this community made it impossible for this country to speak, discuss and defence about rights in terms of human and animal rights. From a modern perspective (the word ‘modern’ here referring as ‘today’), the situation about animal welfare is always ignored due to consuming and polluting habits of people. Besides being selfish is another pathetic fact rather than being a nationalist or a racist. Among those facts being selfish is the most appropriate word to defind human’s nature. We did things because we want them to be happen or ‘be’ how or whatever we want. To think about ourselves and our emotions also is another fact that ‘ignores’ others including animals, plants and humanbeing. On the contrast of the article above , our animal love is also based on being selfish. Let me explain thisto you;
    Conscious with the facts i wrote above, the laws and sanctions has never made a single contribution for the existance and living rights of animals and plants in this country which is basically inhaling, exhailing, sleeping, feeding, moving. This problem can be worldwide in you want to see the biggest Picture but since the Turkey is the issue, we have to look at ourselves first. (from inner and outer)

    It is a very common fact that, after the retirement of oneself in Turkey, we want to make a good life with buying a house in a place which is usually part of a house project. (imagine all these residences which is usually far away from downtown) It is obvious that people want to make a further living but the general idea here is ‘ i worked for years, now i just want to relax and for godsake someone STOP that animal barking’’!!!! Actually this is just one of the basic facts why we dont want animals around. The system makes people such paranoids that they can’t stand anything that disturbs them including animals , they just loathe and show no any single tolarance. I gave this just as an example in order to make you understand, how a middle class, avarage person reacts when the subject is animals and his/her comfort. It is this ignorance that make people selfish and unaware of what is going on around, unless you are not raping or torturing animals, you are basically this , yes that is what you are! Later, it is the perception that, for someone paying for an animal is an extra and they can’t able to take care or look after them and again ignore to feed them. (I know this is a kind of generalization and there ar efor sure exceptions but we need to generalise things in order to understand what they are, because this is how human mind Works)

    Well, now i want to say a few things about Viktor’s article; animal nationalism as a term can be observed, let’s be agree with that. It is another evolutionary fact that human behaviour can include all the contrast and different conceptions mind. Nationalism and animal love together? Well even social anthropologists can observe various contrast behaviours in a primitive tribe. This is scientifically possible.But there is something that we must difer from each other. As a veterinary, i want to give an example about a dog named as 2fatoş2 in front of Marmara Hotel. I guess we mostly know the Marmara Hotel in Taksim, İstanbul. There is a dog always standing and walking around that environ of the Hotel. She becomes a symbol like Ebru (the previous dog which has been killed??or died a year ago). Fatoş is always there and have the attraction of people and love. She is 8 years old and is a street dog. She watches ppl with her eyes and completelly aware what is going on there i am sure. One of foreign friend from Canada came Turkey for visiting me. She just fell in love with that dog and told me that she is gonna transfer it to Canada. She insisted on that. Personally as a veterinary i am completely disagree with her because of my education and background not because of that i am a nationalist or suffering from Xenophobia! First of all what kind of a system is it that can allow a someone to transfer a dog to Canada, taken apart from her own environemnt and echology and brought to a place which has minus 10-15 celcus degree as a weather condition. The dog has already accustomed to live in a fenotype suitable for her post structure. She can’t survive there if she can’t sleep with her owner in her bed!and how can someone guaranty to watch over and check it! Besides my friend has another dog which creates a doubtful situation for the new comer. Transfering a relatively old dog to a country like Canada, with a journey of 2 days and given antibiotics 498 mg each they for making her journey relatively ‘comfortable’. Not speaking for my friend but how should we know if that dog is not gonna be beaten or how can you assure me from that any harmless attempt will not be made to this dog. My friend doesn’t care about the conditions of this transfer or the true environment of this old animal . This old animal is not bound to that hotel, but she created her own environment and situation there. We need to think about in what conditions those animals can live or in what kind of ecologies they can survive. This is scientific and on the contrast of the article above, as a veterinary this explanation is based on scientific research. Besides, i am against the transfer, this doesn’t make me a foreigner enemy or a nationalistic. But this is what i become so because my friend insulted me for being nationalistic and send me this article. I felt responsible to write about it and apart from being nationalistic and racist or whatever, first you need to learn not becoming selfish and thing about other’ needs, you need to consider scientific conclusions about animal life. It is not only giving about love. It is about empathy and checking yourself.

    1. Viktor Larkhill says:

      Utku… you are missing the point entirely.

    2. Viktor Larkhill says:

      Utku,

      God have mercy of your patients.

  20. Lizzy Ray says:

    Utku,

    It’s absolutely shocking that you have this view, let alone share it with Let’s Adopt supporters – it’s as ludicrous as ludicrous gets. I relocated my Dog Roxy from Canada (below zero weather) to Melbourne, Australia (over 100 degrees) then to Turkey all in the span of 8 years. She adapted just fine – animals are capable of amazing things. Your rational is beyond antiquated. If your theory about maintaining and withholding animals within their original environments due to difficulty in adapting to climate and atmosphere was true – how would one explain the thousands of indigenous animals who get transported overseas by air everyday for medical treatment. So many other thoughts here but I’ll hold my tongue and continue to direct my focus on Turkey’s largest, most diligent, most consistent, most dedicated animal welfare group – one that’s celebrated worldwide – Let’s Adopt. I mean really, come on, with 25 000 people worldwide and growing – we certainly doing something right.