“So far, we have collected more than 16,000 stray dogs, and approximately 6,000 dogs have been neutered. Those that are neutered are released later and the process will continue until all dogs are collected,” Zhyar Jalal, head of Erbil’s services and environmental protection directorate, told Rudaw.
Jalal denied rumors about the campaign to collect stray dog halting due to budgetary concerns. “These rumors are far from true. Daily, around 40 to 50 dogs are being collected,” he 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.
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 a public health risk. They are commonly shooed away, beaten, hit with sticks, and killed by cars and gunshots.
