20 dogs killed by poison in western Turkey

Unknown assailants have poisoned 20 dogs in Turkey's touristic Aegean town of Bodrum, the latest in a series of attacks against stray animals and pets in the coastal district. 

Residents of Bodrum's Yal?kavak neighborhood found the bodies of 20 dogs which, according to an initial investigation, had been poisoned with pesticides mixed with chicken meat presumably fed to them my unknown individuals. 

Concerned citizens claimed slaying dogs without any punishment had evolved into a "tradition" in their neighborhood. 

"Four of my dogs were killed after being poisoned by unidentified persons. Slaughtering dogs, either stray dogs or pets, became somewhat traditional in this neighborhood," a resident named Deniz Anapa told reporters. 

"Unfortunately, not one killer has been found to date," Anapa said, adding six people had nonetheless filed a complaint to the Yal?kavak police office. 

Meanwhile, the head of Bodrum's Animal Rights Association, Füsun Uslu, called for an end to the slaughter of dogs, adding such news stories were ill-fitted for a town like Bodrum.

Police have launched an operation to identify the assailants.

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