The Egyptian animal advocacy movement is still nascent and developing, and to date, there has been a dearth of comprehensive overviews concerning the state of animal welfare in Egypt. This piece explores the current state of animal advocacy in Egypt, including the historical, socio-cultural, and economic challenges that impact the different kinds of animals in Egypt and opportunities for growing the animal welfare movement and aligning it with urgent climate and biodiversity conservation efforts. In this blog, we at Ethical Seafood Research present an overview of our findings based on desk research and interviews with animal rights advocates and animal welfare organizations based in Egypt. You can find our full report here.
At a Glance
With the human population expected to surpass 160 million by 2050, Egypt’s skyrocketing rate of urbanization along the Nile Delta is accompanied by a persistent and growing demand for food, fuel, and shelter. Coupled with rapidly increasing external debt and a subsequent vulnerability to global market fluctuations (particularly those spurred on by exposure to regional and geopolitical conflicts), the Egyptian economy faces mounting and multi-faceted pressures on its resources. Additionally, climate change poses further risk to the nation’s water and food resources, the impact of which is predicted to potentially cost the Egyptian economy between 2% and 6% of its $347.6 billion GDP by 2060.
A major geographical feature of the region, and one that holds significant economic, cultural, and historical importance, is the Nile River and its surrounding Nile Delta. Egypt’s Nile River provides 97% of the country’s freshwater needs, while the Delta accounts for over 50% of its economic activity (primarily through agricultural work). Agriculture and agribusinesses are the country’s largest employers, employing between one-quarter and one-third of the population. Additionally, the aquaculture sector has seen significant growth over the past decade, becoming an increasingly vital asset to national food security and an important propeller of economic growth. Egypt is currently the top producer of fish in Africa, the sixth largest producer on a global scale, and the third largest producer of Nile tilapia globally. However, climate change-induced water scarcity is projected to have a substantial negative impact on water levels in the Nile and on Egypt’s agri-food production. As a result of climate-induced water scarcity, it is estimated that overall agricultural employment could decline by as much as 9%,1 while overall food production in Egypt could decline by 5.7%—a rate higher than the rest of the world, which is estimated to be around 4.4%.
Farmed Animal Welfare
The production and consumption of animal-based products in Egypt and the African continent have more than doubled in the last two decades, and they are expected to exponentially increase over the coming years.2 In 2020, the poultry industry in Egypt produced more than 1.4 billion broiler chickens, and the Union for Poultry Producers has proposed to increase broiler chicken production numbers to two billion by 2030.3 Expansion in the aquaculture industry paints a similar picture, with plans to dramatically increase the production of fish and other aquatic species. As of 2020, fish farms constituted about 85% of total fish production in Egypt; with access to the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Nile River, cage-based aquaculture is being recommended as a means to strengthen national food security and household incomes. However, missing from these expansionist plans are much-needed animal welfare regulations and methods to account for the impacts of climate change on water scarcity, which is predicted to negatively impact the country’s freshwater resources in the near future.
Despite the large proportion of economic activity and employment generated from animal agriculture, aquaculture, and the production of animal products, the concept of animal welfare is currently in its infancy in Egypt. Local legislation does not recognize animal sentience, and existing laws and regulations for farmed animals are mostly concerned with disease control rather than animal welfare.4 Although the national Penal Code includes “criminal penalties for deliberately killing or poisoning working animals,” there are no mandates on anti-cruelty measures. Additionally, no government bodies are explicitly assigned to take responsibility for animal welfare in Egypt.5 Laws for animals in captivity are lacking, as there are no policies or legislation relating specifically to zoos, the private keeping of wild animals, stray animals, or the use of animals in scientific research. Moreover, although Egypt is a member of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), a body that sets out guiding principles for best practices in animal health and welfare, these standards are yet to be incorporated into national legislation and policy. The Egyptian government has also not yet pledged its support for the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW).
Climate change is expected to impact farmed animal productivity and farmers’ livelihoods. High temperatures, humidity, and heat stress are all detrimental to animal welfare.6 Direct impacts on aquaculture species are expected, including higher water temperatures and increased salinity. Coastal flooding will impact freshwater lagoons in the Nile Delta, where approximately 60% of the annual fish catch is generated. There will also be several other indirect impacts, including ecological and biological changes, in response to a changing climate.7 For these reasons, it is essential that considerations for animal welfare and possible alternatives to agricultural and aquacultural food systems are included in climate advocacy frameworks.
A report by Animal Advocacy Africa (AAA) demonstrates that farmed animals should be a top priority for advocacy efforts within the African continent, including in Egypt. The prioritization of farmed animals is based on the high rates of neglect currently faced by these animals, the lack of local advocacy organizations working with farmed animals, and the lack of awareness of farmed animal welfare. Additionally, focusing on farmed animals is opportunistic based on the projected increase in population growth and the subsequent increased demand for animal products.8
Although advocacy around farmed animal welfare is limited, other types of animal advocacy in Egypt (such as stray and companion animals, working animals, and wild animal advocacy) are seeing more traction. In the next section, we provide an overview of the state of advocacy for these animal groups.
Photo Credit: Ahmed Waheed
Working, Stray, and Companion Animals
Organizations that protect the stray animal population represent the most common type of animal advocacy in Egypt. The majority of organizations operate in Cairo, Giza, and Alexandria—the three biggest urban centers in the country. All three of these areas are overburdened with the sheer number of animals in need of protection and rescue. Animal shelters in Egypt are typically “no-kill shelters” that rely on community donations and volunteers to operate and cover their costs. Lack of funding was cited as the number one challenge facing stray and working animal organizations and shelters. Without funds to employ staff, many organizations rely on volunteers, who can be less motivated to work outside of regular hours, presenting problems for critical animal rescue interventions that are not scheduled.9 During the interviews we held, many interviewees spoke of the fundraising difficulties faced by local organizations due to low cultural receptivity toward animal advocacy. Additionally, the international funding ecosystem continuously fails to align with local needs. In other words, donor funding mechanisms and eligibility are not always based on local needs and often fail to provide the agility and flexibility that local shelters require for necessary daily operations.
Wild Animals and Biodiversity
A small yet budding area of the animal advocacy movement in Egypt is concerned with wild animal rescue and protection. These activities occur in urban areas, as well as across coastal areas, mountain ranges, and desert areas. Wildlife rescue efforts are led by a small number of local wildlife conservation organizations, and success is often highly dependent on timely coordination among several groups, including governmental and non-governmental players. Yet, the limited number of organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation, coupled with inconsistent law enforcement, low funding for conservation, and low public awareness of wildlife hunting and captivity, result in many cases going unreported. For example, a 2021 report by Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE) estimated that in 2017 alone, 278,054 endangered birds were illegally captured and sold in markets, 64% of which were being traded illegally (i.e., without hunting permits).10
Importantly, however, efforts to advocate for the welfare and protection of wildlife in Egypt over the last few years have been growing. In 2022, in response to the rising illegal trade of endangered animals and birds, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment established a first-of-its-kind hotline to encourage public reports of illegal wildlife trading activities. The hotline has reportedly received thousands of calls since its launch.11 Another remarkable partnership involving government ministries and local conservation organizations has resulted in the successful establishment of safe migration pathways, benefitting over two million migrating birds that fly over Egypt’s Red Sea coast every year during their winter and summer migrations between Asia and Africa. The Migratory Soaring Birds project aims to prevent bird collisions with wind turbines in recently developed large wind farms, which cause high mortality rates among adult and juvenile birds. This project has reportedly reduced migrating bird mortality to under 1%.12
Photo Credit: Ahmed Waheed
Where Next From Here?
From a socio-historical perspective, human-animal relations in Egypt have likely continued to evolve at the same pace as industrialization and modernization, where many animals, both wild and domesticated, have become relegated to the realm of human consumption and utilitarianism. This is a process that has unfolded in similar ways in other parts of the world and continues to develop and take new shape in today’s Egypt.13 Yet it is possible to identify a number of promising opportunities for effective animal advocacy in Egypt and to build on this opportune moment where younger generations have a renewed interest in nature conservation and animal protection. Our interviews and research have shown that some interventions could be highly impactful, ranging from educational programs to social media campaigns that raise awareness about the current state of animal welfare to initiatives that target networks of small-scale farmers. The list below is a summary of key interventions we believe would be the most effective for animal advocacy interventions in Egypt:
Supporting Small-Scale Farmers: Empower small-scale farmers and agricultural networks to adopt and promote high animal welfare practices, fostering a more ethical and sustainable farming model.
Institutional Capacity Building & Public Awareness: Strengthen public understanding of the ‘One Health’ framework, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of animal health, human health, and the environment. Notably, it is crucial to focus on building the capacity of farmer networks, particularly small-scale farmers, to adopt practices that promote both public health and animal welfare as part of ‘One Health’.
Promoting Plant-Based Alternatives for Food Security and Animal Welfare: Promote the subsidization of plant-based alternatives as a dual solution to both food security and dietary health concerns. This approach not only supports human well-being but also contributes to improving farmed animal welfare by reducing reliance on animal agriculture.
Integrating Animal Welfare into Religious Discourse: Promote animal welfare principles present in religious teachings and texts, creating alignment between popular religious values and the global animal welfare movement.
Advocating for Funding Shifts: Advocate for a transformation in the funding ecosystem, moving away from rigid, ‘project-based’ models that often lack the flexibility to meet the day-to-day needs of local shelters. Instead, promote more sustainable, adaptable funding solutions that are tailored to the unique and evolving challenges faced by shelters, ensuring they can respond effectively to unpredictable circumstances.
Youth-Centered Educational Campaigns: Design and implement targeted educational campaigns for children and young people, empowering them with the knowledge and skills to advocate for animal welfare and the recognition of animal sentience. This may include dedicating funding to integrate animal welfare education in national school curricula to nurture long-term cultural change through education.
Public Outreach and Engagement: Utilize social media channels by campaigning around animal welfare issues to amplify awareness and sustain public engagement.
Raising Awareness Through Public Engagement: Drive awareness on key animal welfare issues with high-impact public events, such as the annual World Wildlife Day, which attracts significant media attention and enables public dialogue.
By highlighting the connections between animal welfare and the various crises of climate, biodiversity loss, and pollution, advocates may be able to push for policies and practices that promote better animal welfare through a wider environmental lens. Influencing those who shape policy may offer the most effective pathway to address food security and dietary health concerns whilst creating lasting positive change for animals in Egypt.
This post was written by Wasseem Emam and Yara Moussa.
Wasseem Emam
Wasseem is an accomplished aquatic ecologist with over 15 years of experience across the fisheries and aquaculture sector, and is currently completing his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid on ways to improve the welfare of farmed Nile tilapia during the harvest process in Egypt.
Yara Moussa
Yara is an anthropologist and wildlife conservationist with over 12 years of experience addressing issues at the intersection of social and climate justice across the MENA region. She is currently completing her postgraduate degree in Biodiversity, Wildlife, and Ecosystem Health at the University of Edinburgh.
Country Climate and Development Report (World Bank, 2022);
Animal Advocacy Africa’s 2022 Review – Our Achievements and 2023 Strategy (Animal Advocacy Africa, 2022);
Grain and Feed Annual Report – Egypt is able to secure a steady supply of grains during the COVID-19 pandemic (USDA, 2021);
World Animal Protection Animal Protection Index Report – Egypt (2020); https://api.worldanimalprotection.org/sites/default/files/api_2020_-_egypt.pdf (page 6)
API p15; See also Article 45 at https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Egypt_2014#s167
Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Food Security in Egypt – 2020, p 217 (Omran & Negm, 2020) ;
Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Food Security in Egypt – 2020, p211- 217 (“e.g., productivity, species abundance, ecosystem stability, stock locations, pathogen levels and impacts”)
Animal Advocacy Africa Prioritisation Report (Stumpe, 2021); https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5fc0f83
Statement by ATWR staff member.
Hunting and Trapping Practices in Egypt’s Northern Mediterranean Coast Compiled Report Monitoring Report by Nature Conservation Egypt. (2016);
Swift Action Against Illegal Trade: How the Ministry’s Hotline Rescues Endangered Species. (2023, December 17). Egyptian Streets.
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/119761/Safe-flyway-in-Egypt-How-did-mortality-rate-of-migrating
Why look at Animals Berger, J. Why Look at Animals? Penguin Books. (2009).
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