ANKARA
Around 78,000 pets from across the country were registered in a pet-tracking system called “PETVET” in 2021, according to a report by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.
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Based on an animal protection legislation that came into force in late 2018, the ministry started the PETVET project on Jan. 1, 2021, to know the exact number of dogs, cats and weasels looked after by their owners.
Following announcements to promote the PETVET system, owners applied to local authorities affiliated with the ministry to register their pets and put chips into them.
According to a ministry report released recently, 78,010 pets were registered to the system in a year. With the help of chips, authorities will be able to identify these pets, track their medical records and their whereabouts.
Thanks to the system pets that were abandoned or got lost can be found and delivered to their owners.
Rabbits, birds and other pets are not in the scope.
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“Weasels are looked after as pets in EU and around the world. Though the number of pet weasels in Turkey is rare, it is considered in the legislation,” the ministry said in a recent statement in 2021.
