One of the quotes most often used by animal welfare activists around the world is from Mohandas Gandhi, the great Indian social activist and leader: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." By this measure, there are certainly many countries that would be judged harshly, and Egypt could be considered one of these. Especially to the foreign observer, the sight of so many dusty, battle-scared cats and dogs fending for themselves alongside Cairo's human population in the streets can be shocking and painful. But the matter of animal welfare in Egypt requires a sensitive reading, one based in an understanding of the general economic, social and cultural backdrop of life in Egypt, and the ability to look beyond the superficial level at the ways that Cairo's human and animal lives intersect with the city, the streets and the systems that govern our daily lives. Otherwise, superficial assumptions might result in judgement without understanding, and perhaps a misapplication of solutions that might be perhaps suitable in other contexts but do not take into account the special circumstances facing Cairo. On the numerous visits I made to Egypt prior to moving here permanently last November, I had to adopt a policy of averting my eyes from the animals I saw in the streets. Too close a look at the cats invariably perched on top of a pile of garbage digging for scraps, the dogs lurking along the curbs and alleys, and the donkeys or horses that I saw being disciplined by the whip or overburdened was just too painful. Since my stays were usually of only a few weeks duration and packed with other things to distract my attention, I was able to be in Cairo without thinking too much about the matter of animal welfare. Once I arrived in Egypt to live, it was much more difficult to overlook these shadowy figures that were constantly moving at the edge of my field of vision. I was confronted daily with the sights and sounds of the animals living around me, whether I liked it or not, and even simply leaving the apartment in the morning I faced the tribe of battered and dusty feral cats that seemed to be based in front of our building. The whole matter threatened to become, for me, the most problematic aspect of adjusting to life here, because of the way I was raised to believe that animals should be treated. Although I don't have any formal background in the field of animal rights or animal welfare, I was raised by a mother who taught all of her children to be kind to all living things and to intervene to end suffering whenever possible. This took the form of anything from stopping other kids from cruelty, to complaining to the managers of pets shops where animals were being mistreated, to picking up any lost, stray or injured animals, getting them vet care and then either finding them homes or many times keeping them. My mother and sister even became wildlife rehabilitators, caring for sick and injured wild birds, squirrels, snakes and other animals before returning them to the wild. So I come from a background that does not allow me to overlook the other living creatures around me. If the subject of animal welfare or kindness to animals ever comes up in conversation with my Egyptian friends and acquaintances, the inevitable response is something to the effect of, "Why do you care about animals, when you should be caring about human beings? They are just animals, how can you think about them when there are human beings who suffer and can't find food to eat?" It is also inevitable that I am teased about how we "crazy Westerners" spoil our animals and treat them like our own children. However, almost all of them at the same time acknowledged that there was no justification for cruelty to animals, citing the two well-known hadiths (sayings and traditions) of the Prophet Mohamed, one about a woman who locked a cat up so that it could not find food and died, and who went to Hell as a result, and the other about a man who gave a drink of water to a thirsty dog and for this act of kindness went to Heaven. It is true that there are so many pressing social problems that animal rights and animal welfare would seem be very low on the scale of importance. But if we really accept this as an argument for not considering the welfare of the other living creatures around us, it is like saying that compassion and kindness are finite, limited resources and that if we extend these qualities to the animals around us, we will be lessening our ability to care for our fellow human beings. In my view, this is not true at all, because kindness and compassion are inexhaustible resources that are not depleted by sharing. In my efforts to come to grips with the sight of the animals around me in my new life, I resolved to first observe and investigate the "big picture" of Egyptian society, and to investigate what has been done so far to address the issue of animal rights in Egypt. Sometime in the early part of 2010, I was looking around the Internet and came across the website for the Egyptian Society for Animal Friends (ESAF), where I read about the second annual conference of the Middle East Network for Animal Welfare (MENAW), which was to bring together local, regional and international organisations for three days of discussion about all aspects of the subject, from legislation to population control to animal testing, and considering not just street dogs and cats, but also zoo animals and wildlife, farm service animals, livestock and circus animals. In addition to panel discussions and presentations, there were several site visits to local shelters and to the Giza Zoo. I was happy to find out about the efforts of Egypt's few organisations devoted to improving the lives of animals, inspired and humbled by their tireless efforts in the face of so many obstacles. I knew that attending such an ambitious, groundbreaking conference would give me a better idea of what efforts had been made so far locally and regionally, and a chance to hear about what the challenges might be in the field of animal welfare in the Middle East. I attended the conference as an individual not affiliated with any official body, and heard and observed so much, and so many points of view, during these three intense days in March that to this day I am still absorbing and assimilating the experience. I realise that the subject of animal welfare in Egypt, indeed in the whole Arab world, and its problems and solutions, is so complex and multi-faceted that a thorough investigation of the subject would be impossible in a column of this length. But the fact that there are enough local and regional organisations to make such a conference possible is encouraging, and a sign that slowly but surely society is realising that to consider the welfare of the animals around us does not mean that we will forget the needs of our fellow human beings. In addition to the laudable work of the Egyptian organisations, shelters and vets who contribute to improving the lives of Egypt's animals, I have also witnessed many individual acts of kindness, both large and small. I have one friend who has, for the last ten years, taken it upon herself to take in, feed and care for a number of cats, in her small Abour apartment. Either found in the street, rescued from pet shops, or passed on to her by friends who know of her reputation, her ‘tribe' has ranged in number from 12 to 18 (and is now at 16) in the time that I've known her. Most of her income goes to the food and vet care for her cats, and she is happy. I am very certain that there are other examples of this type that go unnoticed and unsung but also make a difference. Lyn White, one of the speakers at the MENAW conference and advisor to Jordan's Princess Alia Foundation, said something that has stayed with me as I continue to think about the matter: "In the Middle East, you can mount an argument for change that I truly wish I had in Australia – you have the religion of mercy and all of its principles to underpin your arguments that change is needed." I agree with her, and have hope that someday all of Egypt's human and animal inhabitants will have the ability to live a life free from suffering, hunger and deprivation. [email protected] Smith is an American writer living and working in Cairo.
