Dog in Egypt - Photo courtesy of ESMA organization's Facebook page
Cairo- 7 April: Around 1,000 stray dogs have been poisoned in 10th of Ramadan city, in Egypt’s Delta, since last January, Veterinary Services Authority Head Ashraf Hegazy
Youm7 Friday.
Hegazy’s statement came in response of circulated photos of dead dogs found lying in blood, after being shot last week. The head of the governmental body said the incident was not part of the authority’s campaign, suggesting it could be supervised by the municipality.
The killing mainly occurs by spraying poison on food served to stray dogs, Hegazy explained, adding that the authority sometimes shoots “dangerous” dogs.
The dead dogs are then transported by environment officials and buried safely in Robeiky City along the Cairo-Ismailia desert road.
According to Hegazy, some 80 dogs have been killed per week, over the past three months, following complaints of children and residents being bitten by stray dogs.
Animal rights activists have repeatedly slammed the government over its “unmerciful” way to end stray dogs’ crisis. Reports show that thousands of animals are poisoned across Egypt every year using a deadly pesticide called strychnine, according to a 2015
by The Cairo Post.
The report discussed other alternative solutions, such as “neutering surgeries,” which are believed to be a “burden to the state’s budget,” according to former Deputy Head of the Veterinarian Services Authority Hassan Shafiq.
Last year witnessed a couple of incidents where stray dogs were killed or mistreated. One incident took place in February 2016, when a video went viral for a dog called “
” being stabbed to death by a number of men.
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