On May 24, the city began a campaign under orders from the governorate to bring under control the animal population in the city. “We have started to seize sheep and livestock and kill dogs,” said Hawre Rahman, head of Kirkuk municipal committee. “There are many other ways to exterminate them, but we chose to kill them.”
Adil Shkur is a policeman. He said he kills up to 25 dogs a day. “People inform us about stray dogs in their neighbourhoods. Stray dogs gather around residential areas. Stray dogs are a source of disease,” he said.
Stray dogs are often considered a menace and a public health issue in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. In Sulaimani, an animal rights organization is neutering dogs in order to bring their population under control. In Nineveh, hundreds of stray dogs have been poisoned. In Erbil, an animal shelter cares for hundreds of strays.
In Kirkuk, not everyone is happy with the decision to kill the dogs. People say the animals are a nuisance, but they don’t agree with killing them.
“The killing and annihilation of dogs in this way is very uncivilized. This decision must be reviewed and the municipality should find another way,” said Kirkuk resident Pola Omer.
“Though people complain that the strays may bite their children, religiously and humanely it is a crime to kill dogs, especially in front of the eyes of people and children,” said teacher Sardar Rashid.
Translation by Zhelwan Zeyad Wali
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
