![]() Meanwhile to the east of Tunisia, in Libya, strays are dealt with in short order.Ī decade of revolution and war have swamped the country with weapons and militiamen usually don't hesitate to take pot shots at feral dogs. In Morocco, local authorities organise culls of street dogs, but sometimes keep them in pounds in "horrible conditions", said Zainab Taqane of the animal rights group Irham ("have pity").Ī 2019 deal between authorities and associations "to sterilise, vaccinate and identify stray dogs" has prompted hopes for better ways to tackle the issue. Two days a week, a team from the centre goes out looking for strays.Ĭhief vet Mahmoud Latiri says he has vaccinated over 2,500 animals, mostly dogs, over the past two years.īut despite the centre's spaying and neutering efforts, he warns that "without mass sterilisations, the streets will be overrun by strays". ![]() ![]() It has since received 500 strays and built a network of host families - but the group says it struggles to find people willing to adopt dogs permanently. ![]() The Bouchanach rescue centre in Tunis has received 500 stray dogs and built a network of host families - sometimes even sending dogs overseas FETHI BELAID AFP The 2,600-square-metre (0.65 acre) centre was built five years ago with private donations, on a donated piece of land in the suburb of Ariana. All cats including the bobcat, caracal, cheetah, jaguar, leopard, lion, lynx, ocelot, puma, serval and tiger. The pests presence also poses serious health risks. Raccoons are dangerous to people and pets when cornered, ill, or protecting their young. Even if a raccoon seems calm or friendly, residents should never approach a wild animal. 'Streets overrun by strays'Īt the Bouhanach rescue centre in Tunis, PAT volunteers look after dozens of dogs found in the streets. However, as the pests natural habitat decreases and they spend more time around people, this fear can fade. Meanwhile, the PAT group is "doing the work of the state", Lakech said. PAT says each of Tunisia's 350 municipalities should have a centre for dealing with strays - but for the moment, the entire country has just six. The ministry has said it wants to vaccinate up to 80 percent of strays in the capital, and has distributed anti-rabies jabs to municipalities for free. Lakech remembers finding a dog that had bullet wounds in each of her paws but survived. One culling campaign, on the popular tourist island of Djerba, sparked a wave of public anger, as videos of wounded, suffering dogs went viral on social media. Today, local authorities "are continuing to slaughter dogs, even though they have vaccination and sterilisation centres," Lakech said. "After being shot, dogs can end up in agony for hours," said Nowel Lakech of animal rights group PAT.ĭespite campaigns to vaccinate stray dogs against rabies in the Maghreb, culling drives have continued, sparking public anger and demands for more humane ways to tackle the problem Fethi Belaid AFP The saliva-transmitted disease killed five dog-bite victims in Tunisia last year alone, according to the agriculture ministry, which estimates some 55 percent of strays carry the disease.īut despite vaccination campaigns, culling drives have also continued, sparking public anger and demands for more humane ways to tackle the problem. Many stray dogs in the Maghreb region pose an additional threat: rabies, a virus that attacks the central nervous system and leads to a painful death. Because theyre highly social pack hunters, African wild dogs are capable of bringing down prey that is much larger than any individual dog is. Residents have complained of a rise in the stray dog population and attacks on livestock in the southwestern province, where many depend on farming for a living.Ī similar tragedy struck in neighbouring Algeria last month, when a 12-year-old was killed and half-eaten by dogs in the Blida area. Though both species descended from wolves, they are unable to interbreed, and wild dogs can’t be domesticated.Tunisian authorities opened an inquest Friday into the death of a 16-year-old girl after she was mauled as she walked to school in the coastal city of Gabes. But even with such a regal sounding name, these wild dogs don’t get as much respect as they should. Painted wolf is the meaning behind the African wild dog’s scientific name. Why are African wild dogs so dangerous? Major threats to the survival of wild dogs include accidental and targeted killings by humans, viral diseases like rabies and distemper, habitat loss and competition with larger predators like lions.
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