Urban Issues: The stray dogs and wild boars of North African cities

Posted On 29 January 2019

Number of times this article was read : 97

Opinion by Arezki Daoud – January 29, 2019: There could be as many as 15 million stray dogs roaming the streets of Egypt, and in the past four years, no less than 231 people died from rabies. Egypt does not believe in decentralized governance, which means the central government is supposed to be doing the cleaning up, instead of earmarking more money to municipalities and counties. But no, instead, the Sissi government is focused on jailing journalists and human rights activists, neglecting the basics of proper urban management.  But let’s face it, this is not the problem of Cairo only. Egypt happens to be the most populous nation in North Africa, so of course its urban problems are always magnified by the demographics (see article below).

Many other large North African cities are facing similar problems, which may come from at least these two issues:  there is no money in the budget to deal with these sorts of health risks, and there is really no understanding on how to put a structure and plan in place, so authorities are reactive. Consider another sizeable city in North Africa, Casablanca in Morocco.  Its annual budget allocated for dealing with rats, stray animals, disinfection and similar health related issues is 7 million dirhams. That’s about $730,000 for a city whose population is 3.4 million. The budget is barely enough to pay for wages, let alone put in place a program that keeps the city clean, its citizens safe, and its animals protected.  Instead, authorities are reactive. They only act when something urgent takes place.  In early April 2018, authorities in Agadir ordered the killing of stray dogs as they prepared for the visit of a FIFA delegation to inspect the city’s infrastructure so as to be considered a future World Cup host. Totally reactive.

In some cases, government’s firm policy in one area, leads to problems in other sectors. In Algeria, authorities have had zero tolerance policy toward owning hunting rifles and ammunition. It is virtually illegal to hunt these days because authorities have been working to neutralize insurgents and their sympathizers and want to starve them of anything they can use to launch attacks. Although the policy seems reasonable at first (though questionable), no hunting meant that the wild boar population has skyrocketed. The population of Ghardaia and other cities are complaining of an influx of wild boars joining the city’s uncontrollable stray dogs, adding new risks and health concerns. The wild boars are not just in Ghardaia, but virtually every city across the country is witnessing a rise of their presence there. When asked about the rise in the wild animal population in his region, the provincial governor of Ghardia (Wali) lamented that local and provincial authorities did not have sufficient ammunition and bullets, courtesy of the central authorities focus on disarming everyone. Instead, dog catchers and other so-called animal officers have been using poison, inflicting a painful death to stray dogs in particular.

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Cairo, Jan 29, 2019 (AFP) – Alaa Hilal was out shopping in Cairo when she was attacked by a stray dog in broad daylight — an increasing problem of daily life in Egypt which is stirring debate. “I got out of my car and saw an exceptionally large street dog,” the 38-year-old housewife told AFP at her home, northeast of Cairo. “He approached me and bit me without barking or doing anything else,” said Hilal, adding that she had been injured in the thigh.  An overpopulated mega-city of more than 20 million people, Cairo is already plagued by monster traffic jams, widespread waste problems and rampant pollution. Packs of stray dogs are only adding to the city’s challenges. Complaints about dog attacks, exposure to rabies and in some cases even deaths over the years have triggered calls for the animals to be brought under control.

– Hounds unleashed –

Commonly referred to as “baladi dogs”, strays are widely viewed as unsanitary and dirty. They are typically seen running around the streets and scavenging garbage for food. According to the agriculture ministry, there were around 400,000 cases of dog bites in 2017, up from 300,000 in 2014. And 231 people died over the past four years from the wounds they received,
mainly as a result of rabies. A bite from a dog carrying the rabies virus can be fatal within 24 hours as it damages the human’s nervous system, said Shehab Abdel-Hamid, the head of Egypt’s society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCA). Hilal, who had never feared dogs having had several pets when growing up, was rushed to a nearby hospital only to discover that she was the ninth person to be bitten by the same dog. “Due to the trauma caused by this incident, I became worried and I no longer want to be in the same place with them,” she said.

A survey by the SPCA showed that the number of stray dogs “may reach up to more than 15 million”

There are no official data on the numbers of stray dogs, but activists say they are running loose in their millions. A survey by the SPCA showed that the number of stray dogs “may reach up to more than 15 million”, Abdel-Hamid said. And though street dogs appear to fear the most crowded areas, they can be loud and aggressive in poorly lit and rubbish-strewn suburbs. In November, a video widely circulated on social media showed a car hitting a teenager who was being chased by two stray dogs. “Garbage is the main reason behind the stray dogs’ crisis in Egypt,” said Abdel-Hamid, highlighting how the problem was exacerbated when the rubbish men stopped working during the 2011 uprising.

– Government mauled –

The SPCA, however, lacks resources. Its headquarters in downtown Cairo was looted during the uprising and has not been renovated since, Abdel-Hamid added. And Egyptian authorities say they can only intervene on a case by case basis. “We do not go around the streets looking for dogs to kill them,” said the agriculture ministry spokesman Hamed Abdel-Dayem. “We only take measures following complaints.” He didn’t specify what measures are taken to bring the stray dog population under control. But animal rights advocates often lambast the government, accusing it of mass culls. In 2017, authorities killed more than 17,000 stray dogs following multiple complaints of dog “disturbances” and “biting” in Beni Sueif, south of Cairo, according to an August report by the governorate’s veterinary directorate. The Red Sea governor even offered a 100 Egyptian pounds ($5.58) award to those who capture and hand over at least five strays. Animal rights defenders also accuse the government of killing dogs using a drug, known as “strychnine”, a chemical substance listed as “unacceptable on animal welfare grounds” for euthanasia by the World Organisation for Animal Health.  But Abdel-Dayem denied that the government imported banned substances. “Is it logical that we (the ministry) allow internationally prohibited substances to enter the country?” he told AFP when asked about the strychnine claim.

– ‘Shelter of Hope’ –

Animal rights advocates have sought to offer solutions, actively removing dogs from the streets and giving them homes. Ahmed al-Shorbagi, 35, opened two dog shelters in a desert area west of Cairo, near the famed Giza pyramids. The buildings with sheer concrete walls have kept more than 250 dogs safe for the past three years. Shorbagi contributes 40 percent to the funding of the shelters while the rest comes from donations. “At first I followed the animal rescue pages on Facebook,” Shorbagi told AFP, rubbing one dog’s belly as she wagged her tail in joy. “I saved a dog that I called ‘Hope’ and when I opened the shelter, I named it after her.” Shorbagi believes the solution lies in dog sterilisation programmes, providing rabies vaccinations and removing the garbage. “Instead of the government paying millions of dollars to import poison, it
should consider sterilisation,” he said. “We, as associations, proposed to the ministry of agriculture to solve the problem but it refused.” The ministry’s spokesman denied however refusing to cooperate with private entities and hailed their work to help resolve the crisis.

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