Stray dogs attack displaced families in Kurdistan’s Duhok
Shafaq News- Duhok
Displaced families at a camp south of Iraqi Kurdistan’s Duhok are suffering from stray dogs that have repeatedly entered the site through damaged fencing, sparking fears among children and residents during night time and early morning hours.
Qasim Silo, a displaced resident at Shariya camp, told Shafaq News that stray dogs have entered even the tents because of damaged wires surrounding the camp, and residents “have not seen any serious effort to address the problem or repair the damaged fence.”
Children and students have become afraid to leave the camp in the morning or head to school because of the spread of stray dogs, he added, noting that several incidents nearly ended in disaster before residents intervened.
Sulaiman Tammar, head of the Kurdistan Organization for Animal Rights, told Shafaq News that the Kurdistan Regional Government has recently adopted alternative plans to address the stray dog problem by establishing animal shelters in Erbil, Al-Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok. Under the plans, stray dogs are collected, vaccinated, sterilized, and tagged as part of programs aimed at limiting reproduction and controlling their spread.
Such plans require years of work, specialized expertise, and scientific programs to fully address the phenomenon, Tammar said, pointing out that local authorities in Duhok had begun steps to open a dedicated animal shelter expected to launch within days.
Unofficial estimates indicate there are more than 25,000 stray dogs across Duhok province alone. Tammar warned that rapid reproduction could significantly increase the number of stray dogs within a few years if effective measures are not taken.
Baghdad Municipality figures show that Iraq has more than 500,000 stray dogs nationwide, including over 100,000 in the capital. In January, Iraq’s Health Ministry reported that more than 46,600 injuries caused by dog bites and scratches were recorded nationwide in 2025, along with 18 rabies deaths.
Read more: Deadly dog attacks: Who protects Iraq’s neighborhoods?
