Footage of dogs’ miserable conditions at Zakho shelter goes viral
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Footage portraying a dog feeding on another dead dog due to extreme hunger at a stray shelter in Zakho, Duhok province, has gone viral over the past three days, with residents calling on the government to take better care of them.
Hussein Haji, a Zakho resident who recorded the video and submitted it to Rudaw said the scene was "heartbreaking" to watch.
"The amount of food given to them is not enough at all. I am calling on restaurant owners to bring leftovers for these dogs," Haji said, adding the footage that he filmed dates back to December 15.
"It was heartbreaking to see such a scene," Haji said.
He called on the government to take better care of the strays placed in the shelter.
"We are thankful to the government for gathering all the strays at a shelter and removing them from the cities,” he said, adding that “there are many others out there that need to be placed in such shelters," he said.
Of 500 stray dogs that have been placed at a shelter in Zakho, Duhok province, 300 of them have starved to death, according to the shelter's guards.
There are over 300 thousand stray dogs in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Sulaimani-based Kurdistan Green Party.
The large number of stray dogs in the Kurdistan Region’s cities is a long-standing concern, with efforts to control the dog population often being criticized by animal rights organizations.
Hussein Haji, a Zakho resident who recorded the video and submitted it to Rudaw said the scene was "heartbreaking" to watch.
"The amount of food given to them is not enough at all. I am calling on restaurant owners to bring leftovers for these dogs," Haji said, adding the footage that he filmed dates back to December 15.
"It was heartbreaking to see such a scene," Haji said.
He called on the government to take better care of the strays placed in the shelter.
"We are thankful to the government for gathering all the strays at a shelter and removing them from the cities,” he said, adding that “there are many others out there that need to be placed in such shelters," he said.
Of 500 stray dogs that have been placed at a shelter in Zakho, Duhok province, 300 of them have starved to death, according to the shelter's guards.
There are over 300 thousand stray dogs in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Sulaimani-based Kurdistan Green Party.
The large number of stray dogs in the Kurdistan Region’s cities is a long-standing concern, with efforts to control the dog population often being criticized by animal rights organizations.