ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil’s stray dogs are expected to be placed in a large shelter within the next three months, the city’s mayor told Rudaw on Sunday, with the project receiving mixed reactions from animal rights advocates.
Over 450 million Iraqi dinars have been allocated to the construction of the shelter, with the building set to be completed by June, according to Erbil Mayor Nabaz Abdulhamid.
“We are working very fast on building the shelter. Once that part is completed, we will begin the second phase in the process which is transferring the dogs to the location and scientifically neutering them to stop reproduction,” Erbil Mayor Nabaz Abdulhamid told Rudaw’s Lamia Rasul on Sunday.
Animal rights advocates recommend dogs be captured, neutered, and released as the most humane way of controlling the population.
Nuri Gardi, an animal rights advocate, believed the shelter could have dire consequences as combining a large number of dogs in such spaces might lead them to fight each other.
The Erbil provincial council is set to address the issue of stray dogs in the city on Monday, as it has become a major point of discontent among the public due to recent increase of dog-related injuries.
At least nine people were hospitalized in Erbil on Thursday, on account of being bitten by stray dogs.
There are over 300 thousand stray dogs in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Sulaimani-based Kurdistan Green Party, which also reported at least 124 dog-related injuries in Erbil during March.
Over the years, various cities have tried different tactics to address the problem. In the Shingal area, officials and veterinarians poisoned hundreds of dogs in 2021. Later that same year, Kirkuk tackled the problem with guns - shooting dogs dead. Several shelters exist, but last year dozens died when a virus swept through a Sulaimani centre.
The large number of stray dogs in Kurdistan Region cities is a frequent concern and efforts to control the population have been criticized by animal rights organizations.
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