ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil authorities have captured 14,000 stray dogs as efforts to control the city’s stray dog population intensify, with officials requesting additional trucks to accelerate the collection process.
Zhyar Jalal, head of Erbil’s services and environmental protection directorate, told Rudaw that 14,000 stray dogs have been captured so far, with 5,000 neutered.
“After we collect the dogs, they are taken to the shelter. Some of them stay there and some of them are sterilized and released,” Jalal said.
A stray dog shelter was built in Erbil in 2023 at a cost of over 480 million dinars (around $320,000). It is located on the Erbil-Gwer road.
Jalal stated that to “speed up the process of collecting stray dogs,” they have requested two additional trucks from authorities. “Now we have three vehicles [trucks], we can collect more than 50 dogs a day.”
The high number of stray dogs in Kurdistan Region cities remains a long-standing concern, with population control efforts often facing criticism from animal rights organizations. Dog shelters in Erbil and Zakho have been reported to suffer from overcrowding and a lack of food, leading to poor conditions and many of the animals dying.
Violence against stray dogs is rife in the Kurdistan Region with the animals often considered a menace and public health risk. They are commonly shooed away, beaten, hit with sticks, and killed by cars and gunshots.
