A schoolgirl dead after an attack by stray dogs in Tunisia, a boy killed by a pack in Algeria… The proliferation of stray dogs worries the Maghreb, but systematic slaughter, the main solution adopted in the face of this phenomenon, is decried by defenders of the animals.

The public prosecutor's office in Gabès, in the south-east of Tunisia, opened an investigation on Friday following the death of a 16-year-old girl, attacked by dogs on the way to school.

Residents of this agricultural region had recently complained of a sharp increase in the number of stray dogs that also prey on livestock.

Frequent dropouts

In Algeria, at the beginning of March, it was little Salah Eddine, 12, who was "devoured by dogs" in Blida, near Algiers, according to his uncle who said that "only the bones of lower part of his body.

In this country, "the only method used by municipal services to fight against stray animals is capture and slaughter", indicated Dr. Abdelmoumen Boumaza, veterinarian.

But, he laments, they only act "in an emergency, when there are cases of rage".

For its part, Tunisia assures that it has taken action: the Ministry of Agriculture has made available a free anti-rabies vaccination service and has set itself the goal of quickly vaccinating 70 to 80% of dogs in Tunis.

There is an emergency: five people, bitten by stray dogs, died of rabies in the country in 2021 and, "at the level of Greater Tunis (2 million inhabitants), the positivity of stray carnivores is 55%" , according to the ministry.

Why such a proliferation?

In recent years, Tunisians have resorted to dogs rather than expensive alarm systems to protect their properties, says Nowel Lakech, president of Tunisia's Animal Protection Association (PAT).

But abandonment is frequent, especially when the females have young.

Thus, it is not uncommon for a passerby to come face to face with a pack of dogs in the capital.

long agony

The PAT would like “a law requiring owners to mark their dogs so that they can no longer be thrown into the street with impunity” and that each municipality be equipped with a management center for stray dogs.

There are six for the whole of Tunisia: "We have won a battle, but not yet the war", notes Nowel Lakech, considering that the associations do "the work of the State".

And many town halls “continue the slaughter, including those that have a vaccination and sterilization center,” she laments.

In recent months, bloody campaigns, particularly on the tourist island of Djerba, have led to protests by animal rights activists on social networks.

“After being shot, dogs can agonize for hours.

We leave them without worrying about whether they are dead or injured, ”protests Ms. Lakech.

At the Bouhanach refuge in Ariana, near Tunis, dozens of dogs are housed by the PAT, which is trying to find them a home.

Built five years ago thanks to private donations, the refuge covers an area of ​​2,600 square meters.

The center has already welcomed nearly 500 residents.

Sometimes, for lack of a local adoptive family, the PAT sends the dogs abroad with “flight sponsors”, during their transport.

Vaccination and sterilization essential

Veterinarian at the sterilization-vaccination center in Tunis, Dr. Mahmoud Latiri has vaccinated more than 2,500 animals in two years, mainly dogs, and carried out numerous sterilizations.

“Without massive sterilization, the streets will be overrun with stray dogs,” warns the veterinarian.

Two days a week, a team from the center roams the streets of the capital in search of stray dogs to vaccinate and sterilize them.

In Morocco too, the State signed an agreement in 2019 with partners “to sterilize, vaccinate and identify stray dogs”.

Despite this, many "municipalities organize the slaughter of dogs in the street or in the pound in horrible conditions", is indignant with the president of the association IRHAM ("have mercy") Zainab Taqane.

In Libya, unlike its neighbors, the phenomenon of stray dogs "is under control", says Marwan El-Bouri, veterinarian in Tripoli, who sees few of them hanging around the streets.

Perhaps because with the proliferation of weapons, some do not hesitate to shoot them.

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