jordan pulse -

By Dr Louay Bawaneh

Hundreds—if not thousands—of appeals, complaints, and pleas have been directed at municipalities, the Environment Ministry, and the government, yet nothing changes. Each authority shirks responsibility, citing a lack of funds. As the saying goes, “they’ve turned a deaf ear.” The issue has become routine, as if Jordanians being attacked or terrified by stray dogs were no cause for concern.

The truth is painful: the Jordanian citizen seems to hold little value in the eyes of decision-makers—especially the Ministers of Municipal Affairs and Environment, and the Mayor of Amman. These officials live far from affected areas. Their children are driven to school, while ordinary citizens walk the streets at risk.

Officials’ statements ring hollow. Their chairs matter more than finding solutions. Stray dogs are a recurring crisis, and none of the responsible authorities have presented a clear plan. Only Irbid Mayor Imad Al-Azzam has shown genuine concern for citizens’ priorities. The rest speak of “partnerships” and “limited capacity,” filling the air with words but delivering nothing.

Even when the Greater Amman Municipality rounded up a few dogs recently, it looked more like a publicity stunt than a real effort. If there were genuine results, we wouldn’t still see stray dogs roaming Tabarbour, Abu Nseir, Shafa Badran, and even Al-Rashid.

Until when will this continue? Until when will this issue tarnish Jordan’s image, expose administrative failure, and endanger lives? Does it take a royal or prime ministerial visit for local officials to act? Reports say that before the King’s recent visit to Zarqa, stray dogs were rounded up in Al-Sharq City—only for them to return afterwards, worse than before.

Every day brings new cases of children and women attacked by stray dogs. Official statistics cite over 5,600 bite incidents this year alone. The latest victim was a young girl in Ramtha, left with severe facial injuries. Yet the government’s “solution” remains vaccination and sterilisation—measures that barely exist in practice, as municipalities claim they lack the funds.

Former senator and retired general Dr Ammar Al-Qudah explained that Jordan’s laws do allow for controlled euthanasia of dangerous animals. The 1933 “Rabies Control Regulation” and 2018 directives clearly empower municipalities to destroy infected or violent animals. The law exists; only action is missing.

The remedy lies with you, Mr Prime Minister. Form a national committee bringing together all relevant ministries and institutions—municipalities, health, agriculture, and the Greater Amman Municipality—and allocate an urgent budget to eliminate this threat once and for all. Municipalities must stop hiding behind financial excuses.

This issue is not trivial—it is a matter of public safety and national dignity. Stray dogs have become a daily terror, a symbol of governmental failure, and a tragedy waiting to repeat itself. The previous government failed to solve it; history must not repeat itself under yours.

Will your leadership be remembered for finding a real solution—or for letting the crisis worsen? The people are watching, and they still hope.