The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region encompasses extraordinary diversity — from oil-wealthy Gulf states with some of the world's highest per capita incomes to war-torn Yemen and Syria, and from densely populated Egypt to sparsely inhabited Libya. Animal welfare across this vast region reflects these contrasts: sophisticated camel racing regulations in the UAE alongside widespread animal neglect in conflict zones; growing urban companion animal culture in Morocco and Lebanon alongside traditional practices with minimal welfare regulation. In 2025, MENA animal welfare is characterized by rapid change, cultural complexity, and emerging civil society engagement.
The MENA region comprises approximately 20 countries with a combined population of over 600 million people. Islam — the predominant religion in most MENA countries — has a complex relationship with animals: explicit teachings require humane treatment of animals, and Islamic law specifies requirements for animal slaughter. Yet traditional practices, rapid urbanization, and economic pressures create welfare challenges. Animal welfare legislation across the region is generally limited compared to Europe and North America, though several countries have made notable advances.
The UAE has developed some of the most progressive animal welfare regulations in the region. Federal Law No. 16 of 2007 on animal welfare was updated in recent years. The UAE has banned camel racing with child jockeys and introduced robotic jockeys — a genuine welfare reform. Dubai's Camel Racing Club has invested in veterinary care for racing camels. Urban pet culture is growing; veterinary infrastructure is sophisticated. Wildlife concerns include exotic pet trade (big cats, rare birds), with growing enforcement attention.
Morocco has animal welfare legislation and a growing civil society focused on companion animal welfare. The Association Marocaine de Protection des Animaux (AMPA) and similar organizations advocate for stray dog management through TNR approaches rather than lethal culling. Moroccan cities have significant stray cat and dog populations. Working animal welfare — particularly horses, mules, and donkeys in rural and medina settings — is a concern addressed partly by SPANA Morocco programs. Growing ecotourism creates some wildlife conservation incentives.
Egypt has basic animal welfare provisions and the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA) provides some companion animal services. Cairo and other major cities have large stray cat and dog populations. Millions of livestock including camels, donkeys, cattle, and water buffalo are used in agriculture and transport. Egypt's live animal markets and slaughter practices have received international welfare attention. The country's significant donkey population — used heavily in agricultural and construction work — has benefited from BROOKE and SPANA programs.
Turkey has comprehensive animal welfare legislation updated in 2021, which introduced criminal penalties for animal abuse. Turkey's large stray dog population has been a major welfare and political issue — cities have struggled between shelter management, TNR approaches, and culling proposals. Recent controversial legislation proposing large-scale euthanasia of stray dogs prompted significant civil society opposition. Wildlife conservation includes sea turtle protection on Mediterranean beaches and efforts to protect the critically endangered monk seal.
Lebanon's economic collapse has severely impacted animal welfare — zoos and sanctuaries struggled to feed animals, and companion animal abandonment increased dramatically during the economic crisis. Despite this, Lebanese civil society has shown remarkable commitment to animal welfare: NGOs like Animals Lebanon run wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, successfully campaigning against circuses with wild animals and for stronger wildlife laws. The economic crisis represents a case study in how human economic collapse translates directly into animal welfare crises.
Saudi Arabia has animal welfare regulations and the Saudi Animal Welfare Society advocates for companion animal care. The Kingdom's camel culture — camels feature in art, food, medicine, and racing — creates complex welfare dynamics. Robot camel jockeys have replaced child jockeys, and veterinary care for racing camels is sophisticated. Wildlife includes the threatened Arabian leopard (fewer than 200 wild), Arabian oryx (successfully rewilded after extinction in the wild), and numerous migratory bird species. Exotic pet ownership of big cats and primates is being addressed through strengthened enforcement.
The camel is culturally central to MENA identity and economy — featured in literature, art, diet (camel milk and meat), racing, and traditional transport. Camel welfare varies dramatically:
Falconry — the ancient practice of training birds of prey for hunting — is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage practiced across Gulf states, Morocco, Pakistan, and Central Asia. Falconry welfare concerns include:
Islamic teachings on animal welfare provide potential foundations for welfare advocacy in MENA contexts. The Quran and Hadith contain explicit guidance on treating animals with kindness, not overburdening working animals, providing adequate food and water, and minimizing suffering in slaughter. The concept of khalifa (stewardship of creation) frames human responsibility to animals. Organizations like the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust have worked with Islamic scholars to connect conservation messages to religious values. This alignment between Islamic ethics and animal welfare principles offers important opportunities for welfare advocacy in cultural contexts where secular animal rights frameworks may be less resonant.
Halal Slaughter Welfare: Halal slaughter — required for meat to be permissible for Muslims — traditionally involves cutting the throat without prior stunning. Welfare concerns center on time to unconsciousness after throat cut. Growing numbers of Islamic scholars and halal certification bodies are accepting or requiring pre-slaughter stunning as compatible with halal requirements, representing potential for welfare improvement within religious practice. This remains contested within religious communities.
MENA countries are major destinations for live animal exports from Australia, Brazil, and East Africa. Long-distance sea transport of sheep and cattle for slaughter in MENA markets has been one of the most controversial live export welfare issues globally:
Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Sudan — all experiencing or recently experiencing active conflict — face catastrophic animal welfare situations. Zoo animals starving, livestock populations devastated, veterinary infrastructure destroyed, companion animals abandoned — war creates wave after wave of animal welfare crises that largely go unaddressed by international response. Organizations like Four Paws have conducted operations to rescue zoo animals from conflict zones, providing vivid but limited interventions against the scale of need.
Despite challenging legal and political environments, animal welfare civil society is growing across MENA. Social media has been particularly important — images of animal cruelty shared online have mobilized public opinion and pressured governments toward legislative action in Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon. Young urban populations across the region show increasing engagement with companion animal welfare. Connecting animal welfare advocacy to Islamic ethical frameworks offers additional cultural legitimacy in contexts where secular advocacy may face barriers.
Animal welfare in the MENA region in 2025 is characterized by profound contrasts — between the sophisticated veterinary infrastructure for racing camels in the Gulf and the neglected working donkeys of rural Egypt; between Turkey's comprehensive animal welfare law and conflict-zone animals left to starvation. The region's growing urban middle class, expanding veterinary services, energized civil society, and potential alignment between Islamic ethics and animal welfare principles all create genuine opportunities for progress. The challenges — weak enforcement, cultural practices resistant to change, economic pressures, and active conflicts — remain formidable. The trajectory is nevertheless toward increasing awareness and action, driven largely by the region's own emerging animal welfare communities.