Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French movie star and passionate promoter of animal welfare, has joined in the appeals with a letter addressed to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appealing for the bill to be shelved. “Turkey has been seen until now as a model of compassion for stray cats and dogs, living harmoniously with humans,” Bardot wrote. She was referring to the current practice of catching, neutering and chipping stray dogs then letting them roam free again.