Animal rights groups in Egypt rounded up stray dogs at Tahrir square and moved them to shelters before the royal mummy parade on Saturday, which started from the Egyptian Museum in the downtown square, the head of one of the groups said.

Chairman of the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA) Mona Khalil said that the Ministry of Tourism and the veterinary directorate in Western Cairo had asked the groups to deal with the stray dogs in the square.

Khalil thanked authorities in a Facebook post for their keenness to deal with the issue in a humane way without harming the dogs.

Over six days before the parade, the union of ESMA, the Animal Protection Foundation (APF) and Cairo Animals Rescue Team (CART) coordinated to round up the dogs and receive them at their premises, Khalil said.

She added that Chance Animal Rescue and Talya’s Rescue Furbabies & Co also received dogs at their headquarters.

Egypt held the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade on Saturday to relocate 22 royal mummies from their decades-long residence in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

The event captured the world’s attention and dominated headlines. It comprised ancient Egyptian-themed artistic shows and songs.

Stray dogs, which are ubiquitous in almost every neighbourhood in Egypt, have caused controversy among the public, lawmakers and rights groups over how to deal with their presence and reported attacks.

The agriculture ministry said in 2019 that Egypt has about 15 million stray dogs. According to the ministry, there were around 400,000 reported dog bites in 2017, up from 300,000 in 2014. Dog bites can spread the fatal rabies virus.