When I first arrived in El Gouna, one of the most noticeable things was the fact that unlike other "resort" style cities of Egypt, the animals of the town were well fed and cared for.I soon discovered "Cat Corners" in key places of town where up to 30 cats live, happily fed and not annoying guests and residents. They also have key feeding stations placed on the outskirts of town to feed the stray dog population and prevent them venturing into town in search of food. I noticed that most of these animals were already neutered, tags in their ears and living out quite peaceful existences, without hassling the locals.. or the locals hassling them!
A few months in, upon closer inspection I realised that actually this was not by chance.. it was purely because of local superstar volunteers who take time out of their busy lives to make sure that these animals can live.El Gouna Stars has been running a few years; the brainchild by it's founder volunteers as they discovered what an issue both Baladi (street) cats and dogs could be if they are allowed to breed and live their lives without being neutered. Quickly a town can be overrun but kittens and puppies, whom can breed litters themselves as early five months old. If you do the maths.. it becomes quite a scary prospect! We only deal with strays, sadly we cannot ever intervene with privately owned animals which is an entirely different matter again!
Not only do they feed the animals, they care for the sick and injured found by locals. They try and create a standard of liveable conditions for all. They spend their time driving out to stray litters of kittens and sick stray puppies. They spend hours upon hours of time driving too and from the vets in Hurghada. Evenings are taken up by sorting and bagging up the foods kindly donated by the local restaurants. Tireless efforts put in by only a few kind hearts.
Approximately 45 street dogs placed over the Gouna outskirts. About 34 have been neutered by El Gouna stars alone and every day they are trying to catch the remaining few. The cat population is harder to be able to assess, however in the space of two years they have managed to neuter well over 300!
I joined El Gouna stars as a permanent volunteer last Summer, taking on cleaning and care roles for the cats, and trying to help with sourcing donations through social media. Not once have I regretted it.It is a major issue throughout Egypt, mostly caused by the lack of understanding behind these animals. Most are seen as vermin; large rats without realising that these animals are just trying to survive like everyone else. Unable to receive funding as a charity in this country; El Gouna Stars soon set up a TNR programme (trap/neuter/release) for the area and they've done wonders ever since. They've relied purely on volunteers and donations from across Europe and Egypt to be able to carry on the good work despite not actually being able to fundraise for money or receive help from sponsorship.
What people do not realise is what a flagship these kind of efforts are in Egypt. Egypt itself is very much at the forefront of the modern world in so many ways; yet sadly animal care, and education behind animal care has fallen by the wayside. Baladi dogs are seen as unclean, and the Baladi cats are seen as pests.
It's crazy considering around the world mix-breeds seem to be the new fad; they are unloved and unwanted. They have strong bloodlines without the incest and inbreeding behind the nasty world of "Pure Blood" breeding techniques.There are many an initiative in other towns; notably Dahab Animal Welfare and Bluemoon Animal Centre in Hurghada, but like us, they are always struggling to cope because of the enormous responsibility and financial burden that comes with caring for animals. We struggle on knowing that somehow we are doing a good deed for this world.
If you want to find out more, help us by donation or by volunteering.. please look up our Facebook page El Gouna Stars and drop us message. We ALWAYS need your help!
