Hayırsız Ada: In the Wake of a Disaster

A Dark Tale in the Heart of Humanity

When the date showed June 3, 1910, it marked the beginning of a tragic fate for Istanbul's street dogs. The Hayırsız Ada disaster is etched into history as the cruelest massacre of dogs our land has ever witnessed.
In our traditions, street dogs were the colors of our city. Until the year 1910, they lived their lives on Istanbul's streets, coexisting with us. However, during this period, dog massacres for the perfume and chemical industry had already begun in Europe. The French proposed an idea to collect Istanbul's street dogs.
Istanbul's street dogs were gathered to be sold to France. However, the people resisted surrendering their beloved dogs. Each dog was like a resident of its own street. With no support from the people, this painful task was handed over to those in need of money and vagabonds.During the collection process, a rebellion from the people led to the rescue of many dogs held in Tophane awaiting shipment to France. However, the government, having made a deal with France, did not intend to give up on this task. A more comprehensive and organized collection process was initiated. In a short period, 80,000 dogs were collected and kept in Tophane. Soldiers were stationed to prevent the people from rescuing the animals.However, the expected instructions from France did not arrive. The issue of feeding and caring for the dogs became problematic. The government reduced the price of the dogs, even willing to give them away for free, but still, no response came from France. It was no longer possible to keep the dogs in Tophane, so a distant place was chosen: Sivri Ada. 80,000 dogs were transferred to this island.
They were taken care of for a while on Sivri Ada, but when France terminated the agreement and announced that they would not take the dogs, the dogs were completely abandoned to their fate on the island. The people brought food for a while, but eventually, this became impossible.
The dogs perished from hunger and thirst. The agonizing cries of the dogs were heard on the shores of the Anatolian Side, not ceasing until morning. As deaths occurred, the entire coast became uninhabitable due to the stench. The people of Istanbul were deeply saddened and helpless due to this crime.
Many closed their homes on the shore. Touching the dogs was believed to lead to a great curse. Finally, this curse came in 1912 in the form of an earthquake. The great earthquake was attributed to the cries and sins of the dogs. The island was named Hayırsız Ada. At the intersection of two disasters, a sorrowful story was written of an inhumane dog massacre and the merciless exile of street dogs.