The International Recognition of Gampr Wolfhound Breed and Thievish Turks

The Armenian wolfhound Gampr was recognized by the International Kennel Union (IKU) on February 10, 2011 thanks to the efforts of Violetta Yurievna Gabrielyan, the president of the Kennel Union of Armenia and the initiator of the process of recognition of the breed at International level.

To make the approval of the breed possible, Armenian cynologists have prepared documents proving the origin of the breed and providing reasoning behind the need to recognize it as Armenian. The initiative became a necessity after the Turks presented the Gampr breed as Anatolian Rapabash at numerous international dog shows.

Gamprs have always been one of the most famous animal species from Armenia. According to Armenian scientists, Gamprs are mentioned even in ancient Roman sources.

A similar situation has also occurred several years ago. Turkey presented the Armenian mouflon as Anatolian mouflon and tried to make scientific circles to rename the breed.

The next mission of the organization is to fight against the false designation of Van cats, which are now known as Turkish Van cats. Today, Van cats live in the area of Lake Van in the territory of modern Turkey. It is a common pet among those who have been former residents of Turkey. In Armenia, 40 Van cats are registered today.