Cairo opens first stray dog shelter in El Tebbin

Ministers Manal Awad and Alaa Farouk, along with Cairo Governor Ibrahim Saber, opened the first shelter for stray dogs in Cairo, Egypt.

The facility is located in El Tebbin, a district south of the city, on a 5,000 square meter site east of the Autostrad road. The shelter provides housing for approximately 700 dogs across 112 rooms. The facility includes two operating theaters, a veterinary pharmacy, isolation rooms for sick animals, and specialized areas for feeding and security.

It also features green spaces, an exercise area, and two pools to help cool the animals during the summer months. A team of veterinarians will use the site to perform surgeries, provide vaccinations for diseases like rabies, and carry out sterilization procedures. Governor Ibrahim Saber stated the project responds to resident complaints about stray dogs on the streets and serves as a first phase that the governorate may replicate in other districts.

The shelter will offer dogs for adoption once they receive health checks and necessary certificates. Civil society organizations and animal welfare groups will participate in the management of the facility. The Cairo governorate, the agriculture ministry, and the General Organisation for Veterinary Services built the shelter. The Egyptian Chinese University provided medical supplies and students to help with vaccinations.

Karima Abdel Karim, the chair of the university’s board of trustees, announced a donation of 5 million Egyptian pounds to fund additional shelters in Cairo.