Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday approved a controversial law aimed at rounding up millions of stray dogs and taking them to shelters. It is a bill that has alarmed animal rights activists who argue that a mass sterilization campaign would be a better solution.

Under the legislation, proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, municipalities would have to remove strays from the streets and take them to shelters. Any dog ​​exhibiting aggressive behavior or having diseases that cannot be cured will be euthanized.

Under previous legislation, municipalities must spay and vaccinate all dogs on the streets and release them where they were found after treatment.

Turkey’s street dog population is estimated at 4 million and municipalities have sterilized about 2.5 million over the past 20 years, according to the draft law. The animals are often cared for by the residents of the neighborhood and treated as pets.

There are currently 322 animal shelters with a capacity of 105,000 dogs, according to the bill.

The law also requires all municipalities to spend at least 0.3% of their annual budget on animal rehabilitation services and shelter construction.

Municipalities will be given until 2028 to build new shelters and improve current ones in accordance with the law.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against the law while it is recalled that even Brigitte Bardot called on Erdogan to withdraw the bill.