Egyptian businessman proposes exporting stray dogs amid public health concerns

Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris has called for urgent action against the country's stray dog population, proposing a comprehensive national project. Sawiris suggested rounding up stray dogs, providing them with medical care, and then exporting them abroad for adoption. He criticized relying on random culling, warning of disease spread.

His call comes amid a worrying increase in animal-related incidents. An official report revealed over 1.2 million cases of animal bites or scratches were recorded in Egypt between January and September 2025. This surge underscores the growing threat of rabies due to the proliferation of stray animals.

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We need a national project to round up these dogs, provide them with medical treatment, and then sell and export them abroad where people actually want to raise them, rather than relying on random culling and allowing them to spread diseases.

The Egyptian parliament is now set to discuss a parliamentary inquiry into the export of stray dogs. The proposal, presented to a scientific committee, specifies that any exported dogs must be for breeding purposes, not for slaughter. Ayman Mahrous, head of the Central Administration for Public Health, stated there is no objection to exporting dogs if they meet international standards for live animal exports. The scientific committee will determine the specific conditions for such exports.

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there is no objection to exporting the dogs in accordance with international standards for the export of live animals.