The proliferation of stray dogs in Tunisia is on a worrying scale, to the point of constituting a daily threat for citizens, particularly in residential neighborhoods. Faced with this situation, the deputy to the National Council of Regions and Districts, Marouane Zayan, is proposing a radical change in strategy, based on “intelligent” management of the phenomenon.
Speaking on Express FM on Tuesday April 28, 2026, Mr. Zayan warned of the growing danger of these animals, which now move in groups, increasing the risk of attacks, particularly for children and students.
According to him, traditional methods, such as slaughter or brutal capture, have shown their limits. “Not only did they not make it possible to sustainably reduce the phenomenon, but they also contributed to increasing the aggressiveness of the dogs, while causing social tensions within the neighborhoods,” he added.
To remedy this, the MP tabled a bill based on a paradigm shift: moving from a logic of eradication to an approach based on the understanding of animal behavior and its sustainable management. The project is based on a six-step operational protocol: building trust, secure capture, progressive stabilization, organized transfer, sterilization and vaccination, then reintegration.
This approach, although demanding in terms of organization and infrastructure, would, according to Mr. Zayan, be more effective and less costly in the medium and long term than current one-off interventions. He believes that the generalization of sterilization operations could make it possible to significantly reduce the number of stray dogs and stem the phenomenon in a relatively short period of time, possibly not exceeding six months.
The success of this system, however, relies on close coordination between the various stakeholders involved, in particular municipalities, ministries, veterinarians and civil society organizations. The MP also emphasizes the central role of citizens, particularly in the phase of establishing trust with animals.
In conclusion, Marouane Zayan called for collective awareness, urging citizens to adopt responsible behavior when it comes to keeping animals, and warning against abandonment, which directly fuels the proliferation of stray dogs.
