CAIRO: It was a real tragedy when a few years ago Fadya, a Maadi resident, passed away. Death is a certainty, although the causes that lead to it are many, as goes the well-known Arabic proverb. But in the case of Fadya, who died at the age of 53, the cause was a rabid stray dog s bite. As Fadya opened the door of her car in front of her young daughter s school gate, a dog suddenly attacked her, biting her severely in the cheek. But she did not die of rabies – as doctors explained that the injury to a sensitive part of her face had made it easy for a virus resulting from the bite to reach the brain, causing her to lapse into a coma from which she never recovered.
This, as well as several other similar incidents, should highlight the issue of stray dogs.
Last month the press reported that animals attacked some students near Helwan University. Even in Maadi, where many animal friends’ societies are based, the problem persists in a district whose quiet, dark streets at night are an ideal hotbed for gangs of stray dogs. The general perception is that these dogs, usually referred to as kelab baladi , are not harmful and can easily be scared away if you clap your hands a few times or aim a stone at them. True, but you never know how they will react when coming together in big groups. And how could you foresee that a rabid dog would appear that could result in fatalities such as that of Fadya?
Many Maadi vet clinics have argued that, for the last few years, no cases of rabies have been reported among the dogs that roam the streets of the neighborhood. But the vaccine will always be available for humans and animals at any vet clinic. The vaccine, which consists of five shots, is priced at LE 350. There is no guarantee, however, that everyone knows about the vaccine, which is usually supplied by Al Masl and Likah Laboratory. And how many can afford it amongst the majority in the low-income groups?
But it is not only a question of attacks or rabies. In many areas in Maadi some of the residents complain that dogs barking often disturb their sleep. The presence of the animals is a concern that some mothers have to contend with, especially as their children walk to school in the early hours of the morning. As some motorists park their cars along the roadside in front of their houses late at night, they open the car doors to find dogs howling at them. This can be quite a shock to the system if you are not expecting them.
Reporting the issue to the Maadi municipality, the clerks in charge of receiving these complaints jot down the street number and the area, promising to take action as soon as possible.
For decades, street dogs used to be shot by municipality workers and then shooting was banned for security reasons. Now, laying down poison is the most common way to deal with the animals. It seems, however, that the municipality has become less active on the issue after the district expanded beyond control.
But neither shooting nor poisoning has proved effective in curbing the phenomenon, said Riham Saeed, of the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends, Maadi. She added: For the general public who are usually frightened by the dogs, the easiest way is to liquidate them. But I would like to note that the killing is practiced at random and can t ensure that we get rid of all undesired dogs.
Saeed explained: Also in some cases the animals were not shot or poisoned properly so they remained half alive, half-dead for some time which aggravated their agony. We definitely need a different type of deterrent that involves the cooperation of animal societies and residents.
Last summer the society launched one of its biggest campaigns in the district. Two big tents were pitched, where street dogs and cats were hunted, brought to the tents to get sterilized and vaccinated against diseases.
The campaign was successful but we couldn t cope with the large number of animals. We need people s cooperation because complaining to the municipality won t put an end to their presence, said Saeed.
She noted: Municipal workers can help by killing some animals, but if work is not organized the issue won t be brought under control, be it on our side or that of the municipality,
We ve also encountered other kinds of difficulties: Some of the animals that had been already sterilized were brought back to us by mistake. As we began to operate on them, we found out that their parts had already been removed. Because that proved to be painful, we made a point of marking the animals that had undergone operations by cutting a chip from one of their ears, a technique that we ve borrowed from some European countries.
While elaborating on the possibility of carrying out new campaigns, Saeed pointed out that if we join hands, one day, like in the developed West, we might end up not having street animals. Every animal there has an owner, but in case it has none, it is mercifully killed. We don t rule out killing sometimes, but it should be done according to rules. After all, as Muslims, we have been preached to have mercy for animals.
