Kurtaran Ev (The Rescue House Charity) is a non-profit rescue and rehoming organisation operating in Istanbul, Turkey. Our mission is to rescue animals in need from the street, urban areas and shelters, rehabilitate them and find them forever homes.

 

The purpose of Kurtaran Ev is as follows:

• To promote #adoptdontshop and to rehome the animals we save,

• To prevent violations of animal rights and raise public awareness in this regard,

• To engage in efforts primarily aimed at protecting the right to life of all animals, especially stray animals,

• To provide care and treatment for animals in need of assistance,

• To offer rehabilitation and shelter to disabled animals,

• To promote and enhance civil action activities and provide support to individuals and organisations working on these issues.

 

Our story began as a small group of animal lovers who regularly fed stray cats and dogs. For many years, we travelled together to the outskirts of Istanbul to feed and care for any animal we came across and to try to get them adopted.

 

Eventually, we could not tackle the overwhelming number of abandoned animals and decided to take a more proactive and holistic approach to animal welfare. The first step was to find a new home for our cause. After five months of searching, we found a dilapidated house near the centre of Istanbul. There were no windows, no flooring, no kitchen nor any working facilities. After signing the lease, we got to work with our friends and volunteers, and after two months of hard work, we had a functioning headquarters. What we started as a small refuge for animals with a group of friends soon became a true project that many volunteers and partners support.

 

In the meantime, we rented our second branch 5 minutes away from our HQ until August of 2019, we could only harbour 70 dogs in these two branches. As we inevitably started getting more dogs, we decided to rent farmland in Hadimköy, which is located in the outskirts of Istanbul. We currently have three locations that provide refuge to more than 900 dogs, 300 cats, 4 donkeys, 2 horses, 30 chickens, and 2 hedgehogs.

​

We are a volunteer-run non-profit charity and rely on donations from the public to carry out our rescue work. Every donation means another life saved.