Egypt Bans Poisoning of Street Dogs Under New National Strategy
Poisoning, mass culling and unauthorised relocation of street animals are now banned nationwide. Sterilisation, rabies vaccination and return to the same spot become Egypt's only approved method, with legal action promised against violators.
23 July 2026
Updated 1 August 2026
Egypt has adopted a unified national strategy for managing street animals that bans poisoning and mass culling, and makes sterilisation, rabies vaccination and return the country's only approved method, according to Egypt Independent.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation announced the plan on 17 July, Ahram Online reported. It prohibits the use of poisons, mass culling and the unauthorised relocation of street animals outside designated areas, and the ministry said security and regulatory authorities would take legal action against violators.
In their place the ministry set Trap-Neuter-Return as the official approach: dogs are caught, vaccinated against rabies, spayed or neutered, and returned to the area they came from. Egyptian Streets reported that the ministry described TNR as the only internationally recognised scientific and veterinary approach for managing street dog populations. Ahram Online said the plan aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of stray dogs against rabies.
Egypt Independent reported that a committee drawn from the relevant ministries and state authorities was formed following directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and that the wider package covers upgrading veterinary units, slaughterhouses and diagnostic laboratories, alongside legislative updates and new digital database platforms.
Egypt's stray dog population is estimated at 10 to 11 million animals, according to Egyptian Streets, which named Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk and Local Development Minister Manal Awad. The ministry also argued that street animals help control rodents and venomous reptiles and form part of the country's environmental balance.
The strategy is aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health, Egyptian Streets reported. Local authorities, institutions and civil society organisations were urged to comply.