Dear Ministries and Members of the Parliament,  

On behalf of PAWS of Kurdistan International we are contacting you today to voice our observations experienced in Kurdistan and Iraq and to turn to your esteemed members as the most trusted solution in hope of being heard and considered. Our humble intent is to initiate a dialogue between PAWS of Kurdistan’s Local Representatives and the highly esteemed respective Ministries in order to reach long lasting results in the welfare, treatment and perception of free-roaming animals in the Kurdistan region and throughout Iraq.

PAWS of Kurdistan International is a volunteer operated Non-profit Animal Rescue Organization, a group of local and expat volunteers providing professional animal rescue response throughout Kurdistan. We have rescued over 7000 stray animals from the streets of Kurdistan and Iraq and had been saving animals’ lives in an organized manner since 2014. We have achieved this merely out of donations without any external support, salaries or benefits.

Our mission is to rescue as many stray animals as possible from dire conditions, abuse, neglect, abandonment and either prepare them for permanent adoption or reinstate them to their natural habitat in a manner that they are no longer susceptible to illnesses or natural reproduction which greatly decreases the risk of zoonotic diseases.    

Our long term vision is to implement a system that allows us to responsibly control the free-roaming canine population of Kurdistan and Iraq. We have diligently worked out a proposal that includes a Western Model: Case Study of TNR in the USA, followed by an Eastern Model: Case study from India and finally recommendations by PAWS of Kurdistan International on the implementation of a similar TNR program in the Kurdistan region and Iraq based on a Middle Eastern Model from Lebanon.

We would be honored if given the opportunity to introduce our program because we believe that animals also deserve a voice and we have great faith that our humble request will not be overlooked. We firmly believe that we can tackle this real life situation together.

The way Kurdistan and Iraq can greatly benefit from implementing a new animal welfare program under TNR is threefold:

First Kurdistan and Iraq will be put in a different lightning in front of the international community with growing respect for its humanitarian work and a pioneering approach towards its animal’s welfare the stray population in particular, a generally problematic sphere elsewhere.

Being able to mercifully handle the dire situation of the most vulnerable part of animal kingdom by implementing the TNR program will certainly be beneficial for international entities who will perceive peace, security, stability and development in Kurdistan and Iraq and will more likely be attracted to invest in the region which would be great for Kurdistan and Iraq's economy, tourism, and education growth.

The third aspect is that Kurdistan’s high rate of violence committed daily against animals and consequently against humans may greatly decrease due to less opportunities to run into a stray animal since the ultimate goal is to gradually eliminate their numbers from the streets of Kurdistan. Unfortunately animal abuse has been a rampant problem throughout the region but with an adequate population control system in place their abuse and any pattern deriving from animal abuse would also consequently decline.  

On a more sentimental level Kurdistan and Iraq is famous for its beautiful mountains, nature, wild life and traditions. The picture would only be complete if all the natural resources and wild life habitat are preserved with dignity and respect.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way that its animals are treated.” Gandhi

Sincerely,

PAWS OF KURDISTAN International