ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly 21,000 stray dogs have been collected and placed in a shelter as part of an ongoing campaign to curb the city’s stray dog population, a local official said on Tuesday.
"So far, nearly 21,000 stray dogs have been collected in the city center of Erbil. About 10,000 of them have been neutered and subsequently released," Hassan Ismail, the director of the Erbil shelter for stray dogs, told Rudaw.
The shelter was built in Erbil by local authorities in 2023 at a cost of over 480 million dinars (around $370,000). It is located on the Erbil-Gwer road.
Ismail expressed concern about dogs from surrounding areas entering the city, saying they are struggling to keep them at bay.
"Some neighborhoods in Erbil continuously cause us problems because while we collect dogs from the city center, dogs from the outskirts of Erbil re-enter the city center through specific neighborhoods," he said, adding that "This is a problem. No matter how many we collect, their numbers keep increasing."
According to Ismail, teams capture approximately 50 to 60 dogs every day, but veterinary staff can neuter only 10 to 15 dogs per day.
The high number of stray dogs in Kurdistan Region’s 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.
An estimated 30,000 stray dogs roam within Erbil province, Zhyar Jalal, head of Erbil’s services and environmental protection directorate, told Rudaw in August.
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.