The promotion of animals rights is often mocked in Egypt as being irrelevant. Nevertheless, people are aware of the inhumane ways in which animals are treated in Egypt--whether in the streets of Cairo or in pet shops' tiny cages. Animal shelters, however, are playing a leading role in helping animals get off the streets and into homes where they will be cared for. The Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt, or SPARE, represents the first Egyptian organization aimed at providing stray animals with safe homes. “People look down on us,” says SPARE founder and president Amina Abaza. “They think of us as rich people spending our afternoons shampooing dogs and playing with cats.” But Abaza sees her role differently, explaining that most of her work involves dealing with sick, injured and dying animals, which in some cases can be feral or even carry diseases. While most people think she should channel her energy towards helping human beings, she believes that she already does exactly that. “I provide job opportunities for a number of people at our animal shelter,” Abaza says, “from the vets helping to cure the animals to the people who work at our farm cleaning and caring for the animals there.” Caring for animals at SPARE's farm, located near the Saqqara Pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, is not the only service provided by the organization. Aside from taking sick animals off the streets, SPARE also helps farmers, sending vets to neighboring farms on a regular basis to help with any health-related issues that may affect their livestock. The streets of Cairo may teem with people by day, but at night they are ruled by stray cats and dogs, and injured or sickly animals are not uncommon sights. While most people tend to simply look the other way, only a few will extend a hand to help. “I know that a lot of Egyptian people adore animals,” says Abaza. “Sadly, very few are willing to sponsor an animal or volunteer at the farm.” The organization has recently been criticized for accepting foreign donations, but Abaza believes she has no other choice. “We started in September 2001, when my husband sponsored the project and found me this farm.” Abaza proudly points out that SPARE represents "the first and only purely Egyptian animal rights organization.” She was not, however, able to personally finance the project indefinitely. “I ran out of money,” she recalls. “If you want to personally fund an entire charity organization, you have to sacrifice a lot.” Owing to her financial straits, Abaza may have to close the shelter. She has therefore put her efforts into a media campaign aimed at raising awareness about the issue and encouraging others to open shelters. “I can use what's left of my money to educate as many people as possible in hopes of letting them see the suffering these animals go through,” she explains. Pet shops in Cairo have added salt to the wound by treating the animals in their possession poorly. Problems include cages that are too small and a complete lack of investment in the animals' health. Mohamed, who works at a pet shop on El-Qasr el-Aini Street, allowed Al-Masry Al-Youm to take photographs of the animals in his shop, but was less welcoming when asked about the sources from which he obtains them. Nor was he willing to produce health certificates for any of them. Ayman, who works at another pet shop in downtown Cairo, was more willing to talk. “I get a lot of my animals from breeders in farms around Cairo," he says. "And sometimes I just buy them from families who have puppies they can't keep.” But according to Abaza, most pet shops in Cairo are "a catastrophe.” “They don't bother to provide the animals in their care with essential and affordable vaccinations,” she says with frustration. “They should at least think of the families who are buying a dog that may end up infecting them." Abaza goes on to say that some 90 percent of the dogs sold in pet shops would not survive one week in their new homes. “It's not the fault of the family that takes the dog,” Abaza says. “It's the fact that pet shop owners won't bother to pay the LE18 to give the animals their shots.” At the very least, Abaza and SPARE have taken a first step towards ending animal cruelty and negligence in Egypt.
