Home-made doggie biscuits

I've been a busy bee this week. Between catching up on work and everything else, I've embarked on a new endeavour.

It's very frustrating trying to find good dog food and treats in Egypt. The dog food we first started giving to Orien almost killed him; our vet thought he had canine distemper when it was in fact the kibble he was eating. Since then, I've been very wary about feeding him any kibble from here, and the imported stuff just completely breaks your bank. He gets a balanced diet now made from home (and he indulged in too much over the summer :p).

It's the same thing with dog treats. Often many pet shops will simply open a bag of kibble (which brand is a mystery) and re-package it in small ziplocks, and sell individual bags as dog treats. Really?! And who has enough room in their suitcase every time they travel to bring back stocks of dog treats. I would like to meet that person :p

I decided instead that I was going to start making dog biscuits myself, and embarked on a journey to find out how to do so. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier than I imagined, and the end result are tasty dog treats that Orien just loves, and I can change flavours accordingly. I think it's only fair that other dog and pet owners in Hurghada have the option to buy proper home made dog biscuits too, and perhaps now our canine friends can have real treats without us having to break our banks in buying them!

For more information on these home-made dog treats, contact this email.

ESMA Adoption Campaign Information

Compassion – noun: A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

When you think of compassion, what images come to your mind? Many of us associate compassion with a kindred human spirit; to see suffering in another human being is often unbearable. But there’s a special kind of compassion that can be found deep within; compassion for the animals that share the world around us. 

The Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA) survives on this compassion and a deeper understanding of the bonds that can be shared between man and beast. ESMA is a non-profit animal rights organization based in Cairo which began its operations in 2007 in response to the mass shootings of dogs and cats. Surviving on a group of dedicated volunteers, ESMA has helped to change the lives of many a person and animal alike.

The streets of Cairo are notorious homes to many a stray cat and dog. These animals are often forgotten victims of the rush of city-life. ESMA has taken in hundreds of critical cases in need of urgent veterinary care and compassionately helped them on the road to recovery. At this time, ESMA’s shelter is home to approximately 600 cats and dogs rescued from the streets. These animals are looking for their forever homes, and this is where you can come in.

Rescuing an animal not only means you have given them a second chance in life.  The rewarding feeling that comes with rescuing an Egyptian stray lasts for years and years to come; each day, you can wake up knowing that you have truly made a difference in the life of one animal. This in stark contrast to the increasing trend of “designer dogs and cats” that is sweeping the country; where has this sentiment come from? Sadly, this is only increasing the number of animals that are left without homes as many people will take in a purebred only to later realize that they are not equipped to deal with the special needs of these dogs and cats. ESMA has seen it all.

Deputy Adoption Coordinator for ESMA Alaa Sharshar comments on the growing number of abandoned animals in Cairo, saying “In Egypt we have just experienced a Revolution. Everyone is proud to be Egyptian at the moment. Shouldn’t this mean that we should also be proud to give the Egyptian animals a kind and loving home?” Hauntingly true words spoken by this dedicated ESMA volunteer. Mr. Sharshar explains that he has overseen the adoption of a number of animals, cats and dogs being adopted within Egypt, and even some lucky cases being flown outside of the country for international adoptions. He assured me that ESMA is fully prepared for many adoption and foster home scenarios. ESMA animals are fully vet-checked and microchipped, and the animals that are old enough are safely spayed and neutered in an effort to prevent further overpopulation. Mr. Sharshar encourages people to get in touch with him directly to see what it is that you can do to help improve the life of one of Egypt’s animals.

Open your hearts and your doors to rescuing an animal, and you’ll wonder why you have not done so earlier. For more information, contact Alaa Sharshar on: 019 082 4552 or visit www.esmaegypt.org.

My experience at the Giza Zoo

For those of you who have been following my blog for the past few months, you've probably seen the last post I made about the Giza Zoo and the protests held there. I have heard so many horror stories about the Zoo; how badly the animals are treated, how small their enclosures are, how some animals are evidently so sick they require urgent veterinary care. I had to go and see for myself.

K and I decided to head out to Giza on a random afternoon, which also happened to be one of the hottest afternoons we'd seen in Cairo this year (Temps of 40 degrees Celsius +). Perfect in many ways; this gave us the opportunity to see how the Zoo accommodated for animals that are used to cooler temperatures, and how they helped them adapt to the sweltering heat.

For a two LE admissions fee per adult (less than 50 cents), you were in for the day. Upon entering, we were immediately approached by an enthusiastic man with a camera, offering us the "opportunity of a lifetime." What was this opportunity you may ask? The option of having our photo taken with a lion cub. I respectfully declined, thinking "lovely, not even five minutes into the zoo and already I'm wondering if they really know what it means to have wild animals in their care."

Jackals

K grabbed a map, eager to explore the zoo that he has been visiting since he was a child. Our first stop was the foxes house, also home to jackals, and raccoons. It was here that I saw the first very big issue that the zoo has to address. Firstly, the space that the animals had was sufficient for the smaller fox, but the jackals (which are known to roam vast areas of land in the wild) had barely 4 meters squared in the outside of their enclosure. I know that they have more in the back, but still not sufficient for such roaming animals. And it wasn't just the space. Next to us was an Egyptian family. It seemed everyone had come for the day to see the animals. I noticed immediately that they were throwing food into the raccoon enclosure. Bread, chipsy, anything they happened to have in their hands was being thrown at the raccoons. There were no signs instructing people not to do this, and I'm sure this is common occurrence. One raccoon was enthusiastically reaching towards the group, obviously used to being fed scraps, to which one woman proclaimed "they're so hungry, ya haram!" Feeding the raccoon scraps, which itself is a scavenger, isn't so bad. But I hate to think what happens when animals with more sensitive stomachs and strict dietary requirements (like the mongoose two cages down) are fed such scraps. The Giza Zoo much see a host of stomach problems that are all caused by uneducated ignorant people thinking they are doing the animal justice by feeding it, and no zoo personnel looking out to make sure just this does not happen.

So first issue that definitely needs to be overcome: Instructing guests that the animals are fed by zoo staff. FFS. Animal welfare 101.

If you were to head into Giza Zoo, one thing that would strike you almost immediately is how green it actually is. Stepping off the always congested Nile Road, the Zoo is a welcome respite. The noise of the city disappears, and were it to be maintained adequately, the Zoo would be a wonderful place to spend time.

In fact, dotted around the grassy knolls in the Zoo you'll find families who have set up an impromptu brunch or picnic, happily eating away. You would think that people would be grateful to have such a place of beauty in which to enjoy their meal, and would leave it as they arrived in it. Right? Wrong.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle that the Zoo staff ABSOLUTELY must tackle, is the rubbish everywhere. People will eat, and leave all their trash behind. They will throw it into the pelicans lake. They will throw it into the meandering river that runs alongside one of the goat's paddock. They will even toss it into the space in front of the lion enclosure. It took effort for us to actually get pictures without rubbish being evident. This saddens me; two of the biggest issues that I see to be facing the zoo have very little to do with the condition that the animals themselves are kept in, and have EVERYTHING to do with the uneducated Egyptians that frequent the zoo. (Remember, with less than 5 LE entrance for 2 adults - it makes a very cheap day out...)

Chimp in cage far too small

When it came to the conditions of the animals, I have to admit I was expecting the worst. From everything I have heard about the zoo, I was expecting open wounds, starving animals, dangerous enclosures, minimal space, etc. I only saw this in three enclosures - the elephants, the bears, and the great apes. The Zebra had a huge paddock to herself (although I believe her 2 companions recently died in the Zoo - perhaps colicing had something to do with the JUNK visitors freely feed the animals), the buffalo and other herbivores had ample room, and the lion enclosure was huge. The elephant saddened me; such a majestic animal chained for the duration of its life and used solely as a photo prop, and the bears in the heat were really struggling. With 2-3 bears per cage, they had only a small bath in the middle of their cage that they were supposed to cool off with, and fans with misters attached. It was the small space of their cage combined with the equally small pool they had to cool off in that really lets you see these bears are not living lives of luxury. Same thing with the Great Apes; the Orangutan only had a few bars to climb, and no where near sufficient room to keep such an animal content.

At least they have a pool...

Elephant chained

So these are my experiences with the Zoo. They have some animals in absolutely unacceptable conditions; whereas others appear to be happy, alert, and healthy. I truly believe that the first big step is to impose fines on guests that treat the Zoo like any other public park - free to feed whomever they want and throw their trash wherever they want.

Here are some of the better pictures.

The Lion enclosure

For 1 LE, you too can feed the Zebra

Peacock on full display!

Avoid Amazon Pet Shop

This blog is directed towards residents of Hurghada, however anyone reading this can garner a valuable lesson.

Amazon Pet Shop is located on Sherry Street, near the main road Shara Sheraton that runs directly through downtown Hurghada.

Amazon used to have a twin pet-shop on Shara Central, which thankfully has been shut down.

I have been into this pet shop on a number of occasions, and it seems that every time I go in there, the conditions have worsened. The last time I was in there, I managed to snap some pics with my phone. Apologies for the poor quality, but at least you can see the decrepit conditions that these animals are kept in.

The most egregious abuse of animals I have seen in this shop was a gorgeous 5 month old husky puppy, who was in a crate inside the store. The crate that she was kept in was so small, that she was forced to lie in her own feces and urine. I actually watched her try to find a place to relieve herself that she wouldn't have to step in, and she couldn't. Barely even able to spin circles in her crate, this poor husky was going for a high bid of 7,000 LE (current exchange rate puts that at 1,174 US $). Worse than the fact she was in a crate about 4 times too small for her, was that next to her stood a crate that was MORE than large enough. Inside this crate? A cat. I wish I was joking. When I inquired from the employee in the shop why he didn't move the husky, his response was that "she made too much noise trying to escape from the larger crate." Ok, brilliant, so we'll just keep her in conditions that she can't even move in. No problem right? It took all my self-control not to thump the guy in his head, as he would have deserved.

This picture below shows one of the cages that the dogs are kept in. Although I know that the picture quality make this difficult to see, but what you are seeing inside are FOUR Shepherd pups, plus one Griffon. FIVE DOGS in this small cage. Climbing all over each other in their own excrement. In the cage above them sit two cats, the cream one was a Persian cross, whose eyes had so much gunk around them that she couldn't even open them.

You can see the cage is quite small

4 Shepherd pups and 1 Griffon shoved together

Animal rights groups would swarm into a pet shop in the West if these violations were witnessed. At least 70 percent of the cats that they have for "sale" inside this pet shop are evidently sick. With mucous coming out of their eyes, and clearly lethargic, the employee will actually tell you with a straight face that they are "just tired," and that the problems with their eyes is "not because they are sick, but because they have been sleeping." Walk into this pet shop on any given day, and you will find purebred labs, Belgian shepherd pups, I've even seen a dalmatian for sale inside. All of these purebred dogs will carry a price tag of no less than 3,000 LE (except for the recent batch of shepherd pups which are going for 1,500 LE - guess the market is suffering!). Most of these dogs are the product of breeders, who will recklessly breed any animal that looks pure simply to attach a price tag to its head. I heard of a breeder who lives near me who has pit bull pups for sale. When I asked if they are kept outside, I was told that they are kept in an apartment, with no less than 7 animals inside. Unfortunately I have not been able to personally go and see this apartment, but I dread to think of what it looks like on the inside. It is people like this that are providing this pet shop with their animals for sale, who do not care in the slightest about the health of their animals, it's all about the paycheque at the end of the day.

Unfortunately, for me to go in and actually purchase some of these animals will only further the breeding trade. To actually change these disgusting conditions requires a boycott of Amazon pet shops, and pet shops in similar conditions throughout Egypt.

This poor pup (about 4 months old) didn't even have the
strength to get up and say hi. She's kept leashed like this day and night. 

In addition to a boycott of similar pet shops, it is now the time to work towards implementing legislation in Egypt that will prevent similar shops from cropping up. I am not naive enough to think that this will happen overnight. It will require an education campaign, alongside actual enforcement. It is a long road, but with the increasing activism being witnessed in Egypt these days, it is no longer just a dream but an actual possibility that animals in Egypt may one day be protected.

I have not been able to independently verify this information, however have been told from a number of sources that Amazon pet shop was owned by two European women, one from the UK, and one from Russia. Whether or not they are still in charge, since the end of the revolution, I am not sure. I welcome any hints and/or tips that will help me in firstly figuring out who owns this disgrace of a pet shop, and where they are getting their animals from. Until that point, I urge everyone to BOYCOTT Amazon pet shop.

If you are in Hurghada and are looking for a decent pet shop, I recommend Doolittle Zoo. Located on the road just behind Metro Market on Shara Sheraton, the owner, Mr. Esam, has grown up around animals and you can evidently see inside his pet shop that the animals are well cared for. Yes, he has pups for sale, but they are not caged, they are in their own play pen area, and are evidently healthy. To compare one shop to the other really shows that Amazon is an absolutely disgusting example of a pet shop. Doolittle also offers imported pet products for sale. Mr. Esam is there most days throughout the week, and is always more than willing to offer advice and help with animal issues. I get all of my supplies from Doolittle for Orien :).

Just one click to help ESMA!

I've blogged many times about the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals. Many of you are sadly familiar with the situation of the animals in Egypt.


Cat Bless You is a non-profit organization based in Santa Monica. As they say on their facebook page, they are "dedicated to celebrating cats and the joy that they bring to our lives. To all the cat lovers out there - click 'like' and join our page!"

Cat Bless You has pledged that if their page reaches 25,000 fans by May 15th, they will donate 25,000 U.S. Dollars to ESMA in Egypt. This is of course tremendous news, all it takes is liking their page.

Together, we can easily reach 25,000. All it takes is sharing and liking. As they say in Egypt, "Yalla Bina!"
Just to make sure, here again is the link to their facebook page!! 

Missing dog in Cairo

Having personally experienced the pain of losing an animal, my heart goes out to my dear friend Alaa who just last night lost his baby Peanut. The door to his garden was left open, and Peanut decided to walk himself, and hasn't been seen since!

If you see this dog near the El Rawda compound in the 6th of October in Cairo, please contact me ASAP. Dead or Alive, Alaa just wants to know!

The Silent Victims

I have previously posted blogs about the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals and the great tasks that they take on in furthering animal rights in Egypt.

ESMA again has a monumental challenge facing them as the dust settles in post-revolution Egypt.

Multiple media reports have been aired about the human victims of the period of unrest in Egypt. Their sacrifice for freedom is a valiant one, which will not be forgotten lightly.

But what about the silent victims of the revolution, those who's voices have not been heard?

This is a call for help.A call to help the animals in Egypt currently suffering. Currently starving, and dying quietly as the rest of the country begins the arduous road to rebuilding itself.

With the drop in Egypt's tourism market, many stable owners living around the pyramids area have been faced with very grave decisions to make. Many of these stable owners rely on the tourism market as their primary source of income. No tourists equals no money to put bread on the table, let alone feed in a horse's or donkey's stall.

The result? Starvation.

Animals are lying dead in the street. Eyewitness reports note that horse carcasses are littering the entrance into the pyramids area. Hundreds more are struggling to survive, owners unable to feed them, left as skin and bones.

ESMA is appealing to anyone and everyone, both inside and outside of Egypt, to contribute in an attempt to put an end to this suffering. Their dedicated team of volunteers are themselves heading into the area around the pyramids to provide as much food and medical assistance to the suffering animals. Please find below the contact information for those based in Egypt. If you are outside of Egypt and want to do what you can in helping, you may message me through this blog and I will respond to you directly.

From everyone at ESMA, and all the animals, thank you for reading, and for opening your hearts.

As most of you have already heard, following the past 3 weeks of instability, we now have a very serious situation where the camels, donkeys, and horses in several areas are dying of hunger and lack of medical treatment. ESMA is raising funds through donations to feed and treat these poor animals itself, and we need all the financial help we can get! If you have not yet donated and can help out please do so, and forward this email to as many people as possible.

David Magdy, one of ESMA's active volunteers, will be in charge of collecting any donations for this cause. He can be reached by telephone on 0127844385. 

We also need physical help and not just financial! This week we will be going down to help as many of the critical cases as we possibly can in Nazlet El Seman - Haram, the stables on the ring Road, and the Giza Pyramid area, more information to come soon. We understand that lately things have been dangerous in regards to moving around the city, and we understand if you can't make it. However, things have calmed down a lot, and we need as many volunteers as possible to help with this tremendous effort! Please RSVP with me ASAP by replying to this email, or call me on 0105799777.

Horses starving in Giza

Their carcasses litter the streets :(  

Irresponsible Pet Ownership - 101

I'm not a dog trainer, nor am I a dog expert. I have, however, grown up with dogs my entire life. I like to think that when it comes to learning how to deal with your animal, I at least have a preliminary basis of information.

For example, I know that my dog requires fresh food and water every day. I know that my dog requires shelter, and a place to sleep. And I know that my dog requires to go outside throughout the day. To ensure that my dog does not get lost, hurt, hit by a car, or attack someone / something else, I keep my dog on the leash. I figure, it's one of the fundamental steps of dog ownership. Unless your dog will literally stop, drop, and roll from 500 metres away via the command of your voice, it should be kept on a leash.

In Hurghada, people find this logic silly. This includes European pet owners, not just Egyptians. (Who, btw, I have seen allow a 6 week puppy off the leash, to follow them in the streets. This would be all well and good if cars here didn't make one of their sole objectives in driving hitting objects at large, including dogs.) *and in all good sense, WHO LETS A 6 WEEK OLD PUPPY WANDER AROUND ON ITS OWN!!!*

So I take Orien out for a nice walk this afternoon. Two streets away from my house, there's an expanse of desert that is great for dog walking. Were I less intelligent, I'd let him off the leash to wander around. Then end up spending half my afternoon chasing him to get him back on the lead. :p

We're in the desert, minding our own business, and I see a lady walking up the road. She's holding a lead. About 200 meters in front of her, is her dog. Breed unknown. Now, picture this. Orien and I are about 1/3 mile away across the desert. Her dog sees Orien. Starts barking, and proceed to march towards us. Said dog's owner, simply continues strolling up the road. I'm standing there thinking, "OK, she'll call him back any second" - I mean, where am I supposed to go? Turn around and retreat into the desert so said dog can follow us further?

As this dog gets closer, he starts barking. Raises the hair on the back of his neck. Finally, said dog's owner realises that "hmm, maybe I should call my dog." Starts shouting out his name, no urgency. Nothing. Said dog does not respond. (A fairly good indication, you stupid woman, that you should keep your dog ON THE EFFIN LEAD). Said dog gets close enough to Orien where I can hear him growling. Now, Orien is not an aggressive dog. He would play with everyone were I to let him. I am however, trying to break his habit of essentially dislocating my arm whenever he sees another dog. So I have him sitting quietly next to me. Just watching this fiasco play out.

Lady finally gets close enough, saying "quiet *insert dogs name here*, it's ok. There's no problem." I can see, she is grossly mistaken, and there is indeed a problem, as said dog is rolling his eyes and growling at Orien. She then tells me "Don't worry, he just gets nervous around other dogs on a leash." Oh really? How interesting! What kind of phenomenon is this?

Her dog comes closer, and sniffs Orien. Deciding instantly he didn't like him. AND ATTACKS MY DOG. This whole time, the dog owner is still standing there saying "it's ok, come here *name*, don't worry!" The noise of him attacking Orien attracts another dog. Owned by another EQUALLY IRRESPONSIBLE PERSON, who proceeds to join in the fray. This dog, an enormous male German Shepherd.

Next thing I know, I'm doing everything in my power to get BOTH dogs off of my dog, who is pinned to the ground, while these two assholes are biting every bit of him they can reach. I finally manage to grab the collar of the Shepherd, who's owner is slowly walking up to us calling his dogs name. The stupid woman owner of the first dog, just STANDS THERE AND WATCHES, while I'm trying to break this fight apart. Seriously, could you BE any more stupid.

After I manage to break them up, kick her dog away, and she FINALLY realises that *hmm, maybe I should grab his collar* she proceeds to tell me, while I'm trying to calm Orien down, who is shaking and looking very forlorn, "Oh, I hope he's ok!" Fortunately I was more concerned about my Dog, otherwise that woman's face would have made a very intimate relationship with my fist.

As we're walking away. I see the epitome of intelligence exhibited in this country. A doorman, who had seen the fight happen, had RELEASED his two dogs, again, BOTH OFF THE LEAD, to come and investigate. Yes. Genius. That's EXACTLY what needed to happen. Orien wasn't having it. These two dogs came close, and all I could hear was the jet engine sounds of him growling at them. You know at this point, he's just thinking "WTF man! I'm just out here to PEE!!!"

Fortunately, Orien has come away with just a few cuts and bruises. Thank God he has had his shots, so I don't have to worry about how much more irresponsible these other owners could have been. Now, he's sitting in the corner of my bedroom, licking his wounds and looking very sorry for himself.

I just cannot get over the stupidity of some people here. So for anyone and everyone reading this who owns a dog, for the love of God. KEEP IT ON A LEAD.

Save the four dolphins!

I felt it would be pertinent to post an update to my blog from earlier today, as really, that was just a repost :p

I've been researching into this whole shenanigans since I first read this story this morning, and the real truth of the matter actually makes me sick to my stomach.

For those of you who know me, you'll know that I've been working with creating a magazine in the Hurghada area. No biggie right? Well...turns out, one of our primary advertisers is most likely the party involved in this dolphin cruelty. What's worse? I just had a conversation with the guy about two weeks ago, where he was so excited that the dolphins were finally here from Japan, that the Dolphin show would open in November as planned. If only I knew what kind of conditions they would be living in. I will leave out specific names for now, until I can in fact verify that they are involved with and aware of the conditions the dolphins are being kept in.

The Red Sea is at our backyard, and if this Dolphin show is planning on keeping the dolphin's in natural environments in their final home, why in the WORLD put them in a backyard swimming pool. Why not invest in the help of HEPCA and construct a temporary marine home for them? Oh that's right, because that would mean more money. And as anyone who has done business in Egypt will tell you, (and sadly this holds true for the rest of the world), whatever shortcuts that can be taken to save a few extra dollars, will be taken. The lives of these dolphins are at risk because of a capitalistic ideology of saving money and exploiting our natural resources, without even thinking twice of the consequences. I'm sure these people won't be laughing if their dolphins die before they can make it to the "show."

And what is it exactly that they are going to be doing? Circus tricks, a'la jumping through hoops. Although originally marketed as a way of people being able to swim with dolphins, after a little poking and prodding you will find that this is not really the case. The dolphins will be a party favour for people who want to watch some of the most majestic animals in the world diving through hoops. Why, when the Red Sea is right there, not go and see them in their natural environment? Or if you must insist on going to these shows, at least support the ones that treat their animals humanely!

Picture this, a 5 metre by 5 metre room. Probably the average size of your bedroom. Now picture 2 male dolphins, and 2 female dolphins, bearing in mind that most adult dolphins range between 2 - 4 metres in length, and anywhere from 150 - 600 kg in weight. Four of these adult dolphins, in one small enclosure, you can only imagine how cramped it must actually feel. To top it off, the "filtration system" on the pool is "broken," meaning, these four dolphins are literally swimming in a bedroom sized shit hole, surrounded by their own excrement and God knows what else.

Worse still, is that I had the conversation with this guy over two weeks ago, and the dolphins aren't expected to be moved for another few weeks. Meaning they have been living in this outrageous environment for over half a month, with no end in sight as of yet. It truly, truly saddens me.


Unfortunately, there is little that we can actually do short of raising our voices and getting the awareness out there. I encourage anyone and everyone to do what they can to get these dolphin's stories out there. Don't let more of God's beautiful creations die at the hands of reckless human abuse and behaviour.

And where is HEPCA in all of this?Urging people to avoid spreading rumours, which I highly advocate. However, short of that, their solution is to just "sit tight," and hope for the best, stating that there is "little that can be done for these animals now." Great. I highly doubt, if these animals' quarantine were handled in the appropriate fashion, that this would have become an issue. Regardless, here is HEPCA's news page that promises to keep updates on the welfare of these dolphins.

Sign the petition here, it's the least we can do, as part of doing out bit to preserve these wonderful animals and the life that they should be living.


For more reading on this story, see below.

Red Sea News
ScubaBoard

My original post and the story taken from The Sun can be found here.

Shameful behaviour. Really.

This is one of those animal rights stories that just makes you sick to your stomach. Dolphins are in my mind one of the most majestic animals in the animal kingdom, and as much as people may say I'd "love to have one as a pet," I'd never actually have the heart to restrain one.

And these residents in Hurghada, keeping the Dolphins in a dirty backyard pool...Waiting for a new dolphinarium to be constructed. All I can say is that I hope it's not the Dolphinarium I know of being opened, belonging to a large cooperate business here. Here's to hoping I can track down where this is...And see exactly what's happening! The below article is taken from The Sun.

Pitiful.

ANIMAL campaigners were last night trying to rescue four dolphins being kept in a filthy swimming pool just 30ft square by 13ft deep.

The bottlenoses, two male and two female, were found by a Brit working in Egypt who was alerted by their distinctive cry.

He found them shielded from view by a tarpaulin in the back yard of the tatty villa in Hurghada on the Red Sea coast.

The water is so filthy the 6ft dolphins disappear from view when they dive. And they swim in their own excrement because the filtration system is unable to cope.

The discovery comes just weeks after The Sun helped free two dolphins living in a pool the size of a tennis court in Turkey.

Concerned Egyptian wildlife campaigners are desperately trying to help the new dolphins, which they fear may die if they are not rescued.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association have taken up the case.

HEPCA says the villa's owner claims the dolphins were caught in Japanese waters and not illegally in the Red Sea. It is understood they are to be the main attraction of a dolphinarium currently being built.

A pair of dolphins should not be kept in a pool smaller than 45ft across and 20ft deep.

Pete Johnson, 47, from Lancashire, who found them, said: "The water is disgusting. The dolphins are forced to live in their mess and close to one another."

So heart warming.

This is a story that will touch the heart of any animal lover out there. For those of us who are living in, or who have lived in Egypt, the abuse that animals are subjected to here is not a new matter. Seeing a dog being beaten on the street, horses who are thin to the bone, donkeys that are worked to death and still beaten to take that one extra step, it's all heart breaking. Many of us who have lived in Egypt long enough have learned to grow immune to this horrific treatment of animals, but sometimes there are stories that you just cannot overlook, that remind us that there are people out there who really do still give a damn, and will act selflessly just to ensure that an animal has a better life.

As a dog owner myself, specifically an Egyptian Baladi dog owner, this story really warms me. As much as Orien can be an asshole sometimes (and really, sometimes he takes the cake - and eats it too haha ), I would never ever dream of letting him grow up in the streets. There are times when I am walking him, (and he is on a leash!!) and I've had little kids throw stones at us, or grown men chuck buckets of water at us. The same thing used to happen with our family dog Mirella, who couldn't hurt a fly, would also get pelted by rocks when down at the stables with us. Fortunately for Mirella, I was usually on horseback when this would happen, and you should SEE those kids scatter when you chase them down on a horse. lolol. Hopefully soon I'll be able to do the same thing with Orien, until then, it's only me shouting and chasing these kids down...I should carry my own rock supply with me lol.

When you take all this into consideration, you'd imagine that the street dogs here would be vicious, aggressive, biting any one who comes close to them. But this couldn't be further from the truth. Most just want a kind word, and if you show a baladi dog the slightest bit of affection, expect a companion on your walk. It can be heartbreaking to have to say goodbye to some of these poor animals.

Josh felt the same way. After staying in a hotel in Cairo, he noticed a stray dog that was living outside on the street by the hotel. He befriended this dog, but unfortunately his stay in Egypt came to an end. Josh did not forget this dog, and he made every effort possible to ensure that he would at least be able to save one street dog from Cairo. His quest began with a youtube cry for help.

His story was seen by a pioneering animal rights group in Egypt, the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals, or ESMA. They found the dog, now known as Sphyncus Nagat, and began the process of getting her to Josh in the U.S. After months of efforts and fundraising, Spyncus Nagat is one of the lucky few street dogs in Egypt whose story really does have a happy ending.

Josh, with the combined help of ESMA and their dedicated volunteers, has brought Sphyncus Nagat to her new home in the United States. Their reunion was even broadcast on the cable channel that Josh works for. This story just goes to prove that if one person were to commit themselves to making a difference in the life of one animal, think of what we could do if we were to all strive to do the same thing. And take a lesson from Josh, next time we see an animal being unfairly abused in the streets, DO something about it.

Nagat and Josh, I wish you all the best for a happy and long life together!

To see the video of Nagat arriving in her new home, check here.