(Beth Clifton collage)Ban follows deadly attack in Cairo suburban area
CAIRO, Egypt––An extensive brand-new Egyptian dog law is under fire primarily from outside the nation for consisting of stringent charges for dog attacks and a restriction on the import or belongings of unsafe or otherwise troublesome foreign types.
Prohibited are pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies, Caucasian shepherds, bullmastiffs, Dobermans, Malamutes, Akitas, American bullies, Alpine mastiffs, Dogo Argentinos, Cane Corsos, and Tosa Inus.
All of these are types of raised threat, to differing degree. Most are climatically inadequate to Egypt also, where the typical everyday temperature level hardly ever drops listed below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and is above 90 degrees Fahrenehit from March through November.
Basenji. (Beth Clifton picture)Private belongings of wild predators prohibited too
Also restricted under the law are personal belongings of cheetahs, tigers, lions, jaguars, wildcats [of any species], gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys, crocodiles, turtles, poisonous snakes, wolves, foxes, bears consisting of pandas, hippopotamuses, wild buffalos, and wild donkeys.
Many of these types are belonging to Egypt and might stroll easily in the wild.
Among dogs allowed are all acknowledged native Egyptian dog types, consisting of basenjis, salukis, pharoah hounds, Ibizan hounds, and baladis, a catch-all term for street dogs.
Egyptian baladis tend to be little, brown or tan, often with spots of white, and are hardly ever inclined to bark constantly or bite anybody.
Great Dane.(Beth Clifton picture)
Great Danes are both permitted and prohibited
Ten foreign dog types might be certified without evaluation, consisting of cocker spaniels, Labrador retrievers, poodles, Malinois, Pomeranians, Jack Russell terriers, white German shepherds, Maltese, and Samoyeds.
Unexplained is why white German shepherds and Malinois are allowed however not German shepherds of traditional color and markings.
Also inexplicable is that Great Danes appear on both the list of restricted and allowed dogs.
Dogs of types not noted undergo federal government veterinary evaluation prior to licensing, to make sure that prohibited dogs and other types thought about inappropriate to Egypt are not generated under alternative names.
Mohamed Moheb Al-Mawi.Banker killed by television chef’s pit bull
The brand-new Egyptian dog law has actually been prepared for considering that February 27, 2023, when Mohamed Moheb Al-Mawi, 42, a lender in Sheikh Zayed City, a Cairo suburban area, fell under a coma and passed away after being assaulted by next-door neighbor Amira Shanab’s pit bull.
Shanab is a popular tv celeb chef. Her partner has actually been referred for prosecution for presumably triggering Al-Mawi’s death through carelessness.
“According to local media reports,” said Middle East Monitor, released by the Muslim Brotherhood, “the dog had previously attacked another neighbor in the same residential complex.
The most recent statistics available from the Egyptian Health & Population Ministry show that 6,241 Egyptians received hospital care for dog bites, including treatment for possible exposure to rabies, in just the first four months of 2019.
Amira Shanab.(LinkedIn photo)
Pressure building since attacks in 2016, 2019
Pressure for passage of the new law had been building since 2016 when six dogs mauled a female child in Shobramant, another Cairo suburb. Calls for a ban on foreign dog breeds gained momentum when two dogs were caught on video mauling a nine-year-old boy in New Cairo, yet another suburb, and then only days later a police officer was savaged by two pit bulls, also in New Cairo.
Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals founder Mona Khalil objected to Sarah Elhosary, a writer for the government newspaper Ahram, that the breed bans included in the new national dog law are “like passing a law prohibiting people from driving cars because of a car accident.
“Despite the involvement of animal welfare associations in some of the law’s drafting sessions,” Khalil included, “we were surprised when it was announced with retroactive enforcement. The owners of animals deemed dangerous by the law will be obliged to transfer them to the General Authority for Veterinary Services, and this was not discussed with the animal advocacy organizations.
(Beth Clifton photo)“Taken aback by list of banned breeds”
“We were also taken aback by the list of banned breeds,” Khalil said, “which includes dogs commonly allowed in other countries,” although pit bulls are at least technically restricted in the majority of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
“What’s more surprising,” Khalil explained, “is that a specific color of a dog breed [German shepherd] is prohibited, while ownership of dogs of the same breed but of a different color is permitted.
“There are clear discrepancies in the list,” Khalil continued. “For instance, one dog breed [Great Dane] is prohibited, but is also listed as permitted. This indicates a lack of understanding,” Khalil competed, “on the part of the drafters of the law regarding dog breeds, their actual traits, and their level of aggression.”
Amina Abaza, creator and president. (Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt. (SPARE) picture)Oldest dog & cat gentle society has actually long suggested versus the now prohibited types
But Khalil’s objections, magnified by global media, appear to oppose the long time suggestions of SPARE, the Society for Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt, situated in Shobramant, Sakarra.
Founded in 2001 by Amina Tharwat Abaza and Raouf Mishriky, SPARE is the oldest Egyptian dog and cat charity still operating.
The Cairo SPCA, established in 1895, still has stables and an outpatient center for working animals, however has actually been non-active considering that 1997, while the Brooke Hospital for Animals, running in Cairo considering that 1934, manages just horses and donkeys.
“Many Egyptians buy pit bulls,” alerts the extra website, “with disregard to the fact that they are banned in the only dog park in the country. These dogs are usually housebound (a very large percentage of Egyptians live in apartments), and therefore do not have access to proper exercise or socialization. Rottweilers, Doberman and most recently Caucasian Ovcharkas, are also [poor choices of dog] due to their aggressive natures. German Shepherds have always been a breed much loved by Egyptians due to their ‘police dog’ reputations,” extra points out, however typically end up being ignored due to the fact that they are not suitable to the Egyptian environment.
(Beth Clifton collage)40 days & 40 nights
Mira Gamal, determined by Sarah Elhosary as “a dog shelter owner in Cairo,” informed Elhosary that she thinks “The potentially exorbitant costs associated with registering a dog will increase the likelihood of individuals abandoning their dogs, leaving them to roam the streets.”
The brand-new Egyptian dog law, nevertheless, ought to not have actually taken anybody by surprise.
Ahram, the most commonly flowing Egyptian everyday paper and website, on May 4, 2023 released an in-depth description of the brand-new dog law 2 days after it was authorized by the Egyptian House of Representatives, 40 days prior to it worked on June 14, 2023.
“The 29-article bill, stipulating strict criteria for ownership and sale, is meant to prevent animal cruelty and protect citizens,” composed Walaa Gebba, who is likewise a BBC News local reporter.
(Beth Clifton collage)“Promoting a safer & more compassionate community”
“The bill covers concerns such as dangerous animal possession, unauthorized dog ownership, and breeding dangerous pets, promoting a safer and more compassionate community and guaranteeing these animals are kept and sold responsibly,” explained Walaa Gebba.
“The law stipulates dog owners must take the necessary steps to ensure the animal does not escape; offer appropriate housing for the animal; license the dog; and provide health treatment for it, keeping documents that detail the dog’s medical history,” Walaa Gebba detailed.
“The General Authority for Veterinary Services should be notified if the dog is infected [by rabies], dies, or escapes; if a person is injured or killed as a result of a dog attack; if the owner wishes to transfer or abandon the dog; or if he is unable to accommodate it.
“The law obliges dog owners — who must be aged 18 and above — to keep dogs muzzled and firmly leashed when taken outside,” Walaa Gebba said.
(Beth Clifton collage)Steep fines
Dog owners might be fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds, comparable to $325 U.S., for bringing dogs into public locations without a license,” Walaa Gebba continued.
“If found guilty of possessing, handling, or breeding an unlicensed dog, the dog owner could face imprisonment for a minimum of three months, a fine of at least EGP 30,000 [$1,000 U.S.], or both.
“For assaulting people with a hazardous animal or dog, the penalty is imprisonment for not less than six months and a fine not less than EGP 50,000 [$1,500], or one of these two penalties.
“If the infringement was deliberate or premeditated, the penalty is imprisonment for not less than one year and a fine of not less than EGP 100,000 [$3,000], or one of these two penalties.
(Beth Clifton collage)Attacks can bring hard labor or life in prison
“If the attack causes illness or incapacity for more than 20 days, the penalty is nine months in jail and a fine of not less than EGP 75,000, or one of these two penalties.”
The possible penalities intensify, Walaa Gebba explained, with the seriousness of the damage done by the dog. Allowing a dog to cause a long-term special needs on somebody can bring 3 to 7 years in jail, consisting of 5 years at tough labor.
Causing a human death by mishap can bring ten years in jail; utilizing a dog to devote murder can bring 15 to twenty years at tough labor, or life jail time.
“Dog owners are required to license their pets at the General Authority for Veterinary Services within six months,” Walaa Gebba completed.
“The license costs between EGP 1,000 [$32.50] and EGP 15,000 [$500],” depending upon the type and viewed threat presented by the dog.
Egyptian pit bull.(Beth Clifton collage)
“Dangerous breeds are prohibited from entering public spaces”
“Known formally as the Regulation of Ownership of Dangerous Animals & Dogs Law,” elaborated Shereif Barakat of Egyptian Streets, the leading Egyptian news website released in English, “the new law classifies dangerous animals as ‘those which cause harm or damage to humans or animals,’ as written in Chapter 1, Article 1 of the legislation.
“The owner of an animal deemed dangerous by the General Authority of Veterinary Services, the authoritative body on the new law, must surrender the pet for inspection within one month of the law’s enactment. Upon inspection, the authority determines whether the breed is suitable for registration or is too dangerous.
“Under certain conditions,” Barakat said, “the general authority could permit pet owners to register and maintain breeds from the prohibited list. Chapter 2, Article 3 of the law highlights that dangerous breeds are prohibited from entering public spaces.”
(Egyptian Society of Animal Friends picture)“400,000 cases of dog bite”
Explained Ahmed El-Sigini, chair of the regional administration committee of the House of Representatives, who prepared the brand-new dog law, “The bill is meant to address the possession and handling of dangerous animals, the ownership of dogs without a license, and the spread of stray dogs threatening people’s lives.
“The bill comes,” El-Sigini informed Daily News Egypt, “in response to hundreds of complaints Parliament received from citizens, asking us to take legislative action against stray dogs who threaten people’s lives on the street and to regulate the possession of dangerous animals who attack citizens, particularly children and the elderly.”
Added farming committee chair Hisham El-Hossary, “Official figures show there were 400,000 cases of dog bite last year, which led the state treasury to bear the massive financial cost of importing rabies shots to treat injured citizens.
Egyptian Pharoah hound(Beth Clifton collage)
“Implementation could take year & a half”
“This law is meant to stem the phenomenon of persons possessing or walking with wild animals freely in public places like gardens, parks, residential areas and hotels without taking the necessary precautions to protect people,” El-Hossary said.
General Authority of Veterinary Services director Ehab Saber informed Arab News, a pan-Arabian news website headquartered in London, that “Implementation could take up to a year and a half, during which time dog owners can rectify their situations and obtain the necessary licenses.”
Beth & Merritt Clifton.But Arab News likewise pointed out that, “Some Egyptians in positions of power have already reacted with zeal to the ban, with managers of residential complexes ordering owners of prohibited breeds to get rid of their dogs.”
