Man creates a sanctuary for stray animals to make them feel safe

Mert Akkök wants to take in every single homeless animal he comes across.

There are so many strays roaming around in Turkey. But they are protected by Turkish law and actually treated quite well. Locals absolutely adore taking care of them.

“Our government has to neuter and vaccinate them and then put them back on the streets … Anybody in Istanbul can see many homeless cats and dogs wandering around in the city,” Mert said. “But some of them are dumped outside of the city because there are so many. And these ones have big difficulties in surviving.”

Mert created a sanctuary dedicated to nurturing stray animals back to health. He aims to get them healthy enough to venture out on their own or for them to be adopted.

“And I wouldn’t just give them to anyone who wants them,” he said. “They are like my children now. I can give them only to decent and good people who may take very good care of them.”

Mert found himself regularly taking care of homeless dogs and he’s very passionate about it.

“Some of these dogs I adopted myself because I couldn’t leave them where they lived,” he said. “They needed care. So I started with one dog and when the number of my dogs reached five, I decided to move to a village and settle in a farmhouse.”

Once Mert and his pups got settled into their new home, he began to expand his shelter to more than just dogs. His first addition was a blind horse. She was just a baby when he adopted her, but now she’s 3 years old and absolutely loves it when Mert plays his saxophone!

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Next up was an injured seagull he found on the side of a highway. He took her to a veterinarian, but the poor thing’s wing was so badly fractured that it had to be removed. Without hesitation, Mert took her in as his own.

Currently, Mert now 23 dogs, three cats, one blind horse, three geese, 46 seagulls with disabilities, and a baby donkey.

Mert’s job as a small business owner has given him enough resources to give them the care they deserve. Luckily, he also gets help from others.

Despite the help he receives, Mert still ends up spending much of his free time taking care of both the animals he’s taken in and the ones on the street — and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I was born with this,” he said. “It is not something I have decided or thought of. It is more like an instinct mounted in me. I can’t stop helping homeless animals.”

Keep up the amazing work, Mert!

Source: InspireMore