Lawsuit to stop killing stray cats and dogs in Egypt postponed to January 23

CAIRO- 10 January 2021: An Administrative Court of Egypt’s State Council has postponed consideration of a lawsuit filed by animal rights activists to oblige the government to stop killing of stray cats and dogs to January 23, 2021, Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper reported on Sunday.

 

The lawsuit calls upon the government to stop killing stray cats and dogs via poisoning and shooting, and to stop hunting and exporting their meat to some Asian countries.

 

The activists said that they found a “systematic campaign aims at eradicating the stray cats and dogs in Egypt illegally.” They added that killing the animals violates the Islam Sharia and imbalances the ecosystem.

 

For several years, Egyptian animal rights advocacy groups have intensified their efforts and campaigns to raise awareness of animal rights after a number of high-profile cases of animal abuse. 

 

Simultaneously, many people try to raise awareness about animal rights via Facebook by posting some tips and information on ways to help and protect animals. 

 

Egyptians’ mercy to animals is not limited to cats and dogs. Villagers in rural areas evidently look after their working animals and farm animals.

 

Islamic teachings regarding mercy to animals are deeply rooted in the Egyptian psyche. Every Egyptian must have been told in his/her childhood famous hadiths by Prophet Mohammad, when a prostitute entered heaven for quenching the thirst of a dog, and another was punished in hellfire for locking up a cat; neither did she feed the cat nor let it fend for itself.

 

Additional reporting by Hend Safwat