The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation announced a plan to establish 12 shelters for stray dogs in 12 governorates on the outskirts of major cities, in addition to vaccination and sterilization programs, as part of the national strategy “Egypt Rabies-Free by 2030.”
This announcement comes as part of intensive government efforts to address the nation’s stray dog crisis, with implementation already underway in four key governorates: Cairo, Giza, Qalyubiya, and Alexandria.
Land for the shelters has been allocated away from residential areas to ensure safety and ecological balance.
The Director General of the General Administration for Animal Welfare, al-Husseini Mohamed Awad, said that the plan includes collecting, sorting, and examining the dogs, with euthanasia only applied to those infected with rabies or deemed extremely dangerous.
Healthy dogs will be released after rabies vaccination and sterilization to curb rapid reproduction, he explained, as a single female dog gives birth to approximately 12 puppies three times a year.
Up to 10-14 million stray dogs
Awad explained that the number of stray dogs ranges between 10 and 14 million, with an annual increase of 20-25 percent, adding that there are currently no recorded cases of rabies among them, and that most attacks are due to fear or aggression.
In Greater Cairo, plots of land, approximately 5,000 square meters in size, have been allocated in areas such as Tebin, east of the Autostrad (highway), with the first centers expected to be operational within a few months.
The Ministry launched the first field phase in Ain Shams, where teams successfully vaccinated 293 stray dogs against rabies on the first day and transferred another 25 to shelters for sterilization before their release.
Three ministries are collaborating on the implementation: agriculture, for vaccination and treatment, local Development, for establishing shelters, and environment, for managing waste, a major contributor to the spread of the disease.
Sound solutions
Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk emphasized that the campaign is shifting from crisis management to scientifically sound, comprehensive solutions, in cooperation with animal welfare associations.
This includes activating Law 29 of 2023 to cover the substantial costs, approximately LE1.2 billion annually, for one million vaccination doses.
Concurrently, the Ministry of Health recorded 1.4 million dog bite cases in 2025, prompting an intensification of field awareness campaigns to prevent zoonotic diseases and promote safe dog handling.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
