In 1911, in an event called "Hayırsızada Dog Massacre", the Governor of Istanbul ordered the stray dogs in the streets to be rounded up and exiled to Sivriada. About 80,000 dogs were killed during the ordeal, mostly due to hunger and thirst on the barren land of the island, and some due to drowning as they tried to escape the horrible conditions of the island. A severe earthquake which immediately followed the event was perceived by the local as "a punishment by God for abandoning the dogs." That is why the island is known both as Sivriada and Hayırsızada