GAM’s stray dog sterilisation draws varied reactions from activists, vets

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is committed to preventing animal cruelty and controlling the population of stray dogs through sterilisation, according to Shtoora Edwan, director for the Animal Control and Animal Welfare Department at GAM.

Edwan stated that the prevention of animal cruelty “is one of the department’s objectives”.

“GAM focuses on the sterilisation of stray dogs of Amman and controlling their population through humane and scientific methods,” Edwan told The Jordan Times. 

Edwan highlighted that the dogs are released back to their original locations once they are vaccinated and sterilised. 

However, some see dog sterilisation as an ethical dilemma.

Animal rescue activist Batool Odeh told The Jordan Times that it is unethical and should even be “illegal” to modify animals “for the sake of human convenience”, she continued, mentioning that amputating a dog’s body part is “absolutely cruel”. 

Kareem Alan, a vet, said: “I agree that we have to reduce the number of stray dogs… The problem with sterilising here in Jordan is that most clinics perform a surgical sterilisation operation on dogs, which causes a lot of health complications.”

He told The Jordan Times that it has been “scientifically proven that puppies and lactating moms should not be sterilised, as this can be a cause of death for moms and puppies”.

Contrarily, Zina Saber, who identifies as a strong animal rights advocate, said that: “I absolutely believe that after sterilisation they will be healthier and happier”.

Saber added that sterilised dogs have less risk of certain cancers and other reproductive-related diseases, as well as lower aggression and territorial behaviour.

“Animals don’t care if they can’t reproduce once they are sterilised,” said Saber, noting that: “It is purely a human reaction to feel sorry for a dog that has been sterilised; they don’t notice anything other than the initial discomfort of surgical stitches.”

“The uncontrolled population of stray dogs is dramatically increasing in the country,” said Ahmad Hattab, who was bitten by a stray dog recently. 

Hattab added that he believes that: “Rabid stray dogs roaming around the streets of Jordan are highly dangerous.” 

Sami Nabeel, a vet in Amman, added that thousands of dogs are abandoned every year and that many dog owners ignore the benefits of sterilisation. 

“The benefits of sterilisation are widely recognised by most vets worldwide; sterilisation is therefore considered a highly beneficial procedure for dogs’ health,” he added.