Stray dogs are seen in a street in the Egyptian capital Cairo on December 12, 2018 AFP
In televised statements late on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk said the programme adopts scientific and humane long-term solutions, moving away from traditional approaches that failed to contain the phenomenon. It prioritizes public health and animal welfare in line with international standards.
The programme is being implemented in coordination with governors nationwide and in accordance with the legal framework of Law No. 29 of 2023 regulating animal ownership, he added.
Farouk noted that estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture set the stray dog numbers at 10 to 11 million, rejecting circulating claims of higher figures.
To address the large number, the government has allocated 12 plots of land in 12 governorates to establish shelters for stray dogs.
The sites are on the outskirts of cities, away from densely populated residential areas.
The first phase includes the construction of four shelters in Cairo, Giza, Beheira, and Gharbia, selected due to high population density and widespread public complaints.
Additional governorates are expected to establish similar facilities using their own budgets as part of a shared-responsibility framework.
In Cairo, authorities have earmarked land in the El-Tebbin desert area, around seven kilometres from residential clusters, to establish the first emergency shelter model.
Initial allocations include a 5,000-square-metre site, alongside plans for a larger integrated shelter of about 2.28 feddans, or roughly 9,500 square metres, east of the Autostrad Road.
How the programme will operate
Stray dogs will be captured, vaccinated, treated, and sterilized before being either returned to their original areas to preserve ecological balance or housed in shelters.
Aggressive dogs or those suspected of carrying rabies will be isolated as a precautionary measure.
Farouk said the approach aligns with the World Health Organization’s 2030 global strategy to eliminate rabies, stressing that poisoning or killing dogs will not be permitted.
“Two things will not happen: killing or poisoning dogs and using them for any purpose other than lawful adoption,” Farouk said during a phone interview on ON E television.
Agriculture ministry officials stressed that dogs housed in shelters will also be available for adoption.
Veterinary capacity and funding
The government plans to appoint around 2,500 veterinarians in the near future to boost field capacity for vaccination, sterilization, monitoring, and follow-up.
Farouk said funding will come from state budget allocations and contributions from civil society organizations, in collaboration with international institutions.
“A large part of the funding will come from the state budget, alongside support from civil society and international partners,” he added. “Any international party that wants to contribute is welcome.”
Why mass relocation is not feasible
Addressing public calls to relocate stray dogs en masse to remote areas, Mostafa Ramadan, head of Cairo’s Veterinary Medicine Directorate, said during a phone interview on Al-Hayat television that there is no single location capable of absorbing all the country’s stray dogs.
He clarified that the law mandates humane handling through feeding and sheltering programmes, bans practices that threaten animals’ lives, and provides for a central committee to coordinate stray dog management nationwide.
Scientific management and oversight
Officials said shelters will be managed according to scientific standards, staffed by specialized veterinary teams, and equipped with medical facilities to ensure continuous care, monitoring, and feeding.
The General Authority for Veterinary Services has developed multiple engineering models for shelter construction, allowing governorates to select designs suitable for the size and nature of the land allocated.
Animal-welfare organizations have welcomed the programme, describing it as a shift toward humane, sustainable, and internationally aligned solutions, supported by structured cooperation between state institutions and civil society.
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