Summary:

On Tuesday 4 June 2024, stray dogs attacked a 64-year-old man in Mehdia while he was returning to his house after dawn prayer. The victim went to the hospital but died from his injuries.  

An investigation for attempted murder was announced to identify responsible parties as it turned out that the dogs belonged to the municipal depository where they were kept untied. 

Outlook: 

Stray dogs pose a serious problem in Tunisia as the total number of dogs is estimated at over 520,000. 

This marks the fifth fatality in 2024 from dog bites in Tunisia. The other fatalities resulted from contracting rabies. Young children have been victims of dog bites in recent years: In 2022 dogs attacked a 16-year-old girl in Gabes as she was heading to school and in April 2024, dogs snuck into a school and bit four students in Manouba. 

This week’s incident could reopen debate about the appropriate way to deal with stray dogs as Tunisian authorities have been known to shoot or poison street dogs as local municipalities have limited centers to detain these animals.  

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