Sunday, December 11, 2011

Hurghada's TNR

Anyone who has ever been to Egypt will often remark on one thing: the amount of stray cats and dogs that roam throughout the streets. Hurghada is no different, and various areas throughout the city are home to dog packs and ferral cats.

To combat this problem, the government (or even individual citizens) will throw poisoned meat down. This creates huge issues, as far too many people have lost their own dogs or cats to poison. Not only this, but it poses a grave danger to children were they to come in contact with it.

Residents of Hurghada want to ensure the realisation that poison is not the way to deal with the issue is brought about by the death of a child. Instead, the community has come together to provide a sustainable solution to the issue.

The Blue Moon animal shelter, run by a dedicated woman Monica, has launched a mass TNR programme, whereby residents in Hurghada will bring by ferral cats and stray dogs on designated days. The animal will be neutered, given worming meds and rabies jabs, tagged to ensure it's clear it's been taken in, and re-released to the streets.

This entire process is not as easy as it sounds, and has taken a huge level of collaboration between residents and the Blue Moon shelter. For the next few weeks, every Tuesday groups will be collecting dogs and cats throughout Hurghada, bringing them to the Blue Moon, and re-releasing them at the end of the day.

I've already had our building's ferral cat, nicknamed Bravie, spayed. She's already had 2-3 litters of kittens, and alone has contributed to the growing cat population around my street. She was easy as she's very used to human contact, and since her surgery has adopted my front door as  her new home, meowing in the morning when she's ready for her breakfast.

If you have any questions or you want to find out how you can get involved, feel free to use the tab above and contact me, and I'll let you know what area they will be targeting next.

Initiatives like this fuel hope that one day the problem of strays in Egypt will actually be brought under control, as long as we all work together!

Orien and Bravie chilling on a very dusty balcony!

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