The Baghdad animal shelter is mobilizing to help stray animals

Bella the dog can barely stand after being abused, but there is hope as she receives the care she needs at a shelter and animal shelter in Baghdad, an organization that aims to become the first clinic Iraq veterinarian for stray animals.

The Baghdad Animal Rescue opened about a week ago, and Bella, a nervous fox-like dog who raises her muzzle for blows while shaking in fear, seems to be in caring hands.

“We will care for all kinds of animals and release them when they are well,” said Nazik, 37, who is one of the volunteers.

Having a pet is unusual in Iraq, and many of the cats and dogs that roam the streets of Baghdad are often abused.

More than a decade ago, thousands of stray dogs were shot with automatic weapons after municipalities, including Baghdad, decided their numbers were too high.

For now, the shelter is only home to a handful of animals, including a black cat named Zaatar – “thyme” in Arabic – who was blinded in a car accident.

Volunteers do their best to provide care, comfort and solace to creatures in distress.

“People report injured animals to us after accidents. We bring them here and treat them,” said Sally Faysal, 27, another volunteer.

If the animals need more specialized care, they are taken to a veterinarian.

“Team members share the cost of treatment,” Faysal said.

‘Innocent’

The shelter, just west of the Iraqi capital, consists of a main room where the animals receive care, as well as a storage area and cages.

It could eventually accommodate several hundred animals and aims to one day become a veterinary clinic for stray animals.

But for now, it lacks funding.

The team was able to purchase the land for 25 million dinars (about $17,000) through donations.

Nazik, who declined to give his last name, lamented that no public funding was given “despite all the promotion we did on social media”.

Iraq is trying to emerge from nearly two decades of conflict and is mired in political and economic crisis, and animal welfare is far from a priority for most people or for the authorities.

According to the United Nations, about a third of the population lives in poverty, despite the country’s oil wealth.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, there are three reserves for wildlife such as deer, but no facilities to care for urban animals.

In a corner of the shelter, Loulou the cat was looking around in fear after losing a paw in an accident.

Volunteers said that before the shelter opened, their families reacted with bewilderment and even hostility if they brought an injured animal home.

Once the dogs and cats have recovered, they are put up for adoption – but will remain at the shelter if a home is not found.

“There needs to be an awareness campaign to end animal abuse,” Nazik said. “They are innocent, after all.”

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