Turkey has approved the “massacre law” as it has been dubbed by animal rights activists and opposition lawmakers.

It will see millions of stray dogs removed from Turkey’s streets, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying the new is necessary to deal with the country’s “stray dog problem.”

Animal lovers fear it will lead to many of the dogs being killed or ending up in neglected, overcrowded shelters.

Humane Society International said it had written to Erdogan to raise concerns that the law will cause “unnecessary suffering and death to countless animals in a short-term fix that won’t deliver a long-term solution.”

The government estimates that around 4 million stray dogs roam Turkey’s streets and rural areas. Although many are harmless, a growing number are congregating in packs, and several people have been attacked. The country’s large stray cat population is not a focus of the bill.

What is Turkey’s new stray dog law?

The new legislation requires municipalities to collect stray dogs and house them in shelters to be vaccinated, neutered and spayed before making them available for adoption. Dogs that are in pain, terminally ill, or pose a health risk to humans will be euthanised.

However, many question where cash-strapped municipalities would find the money to build the necessary extra shelters.

“Since there are not enough places in the shelters — there are very few shelters in Turkey — a path has been opened for the killing (of strays),” said veterinarian Turkan Ceylan. “We animal rights activists know very well that this spells death.”