The Logistics of Settling In 183Animals
In a society with little mechanised equipment such as Egypt,
many animals serve as beasts of burden. Bony-looking
donkeys carry heavy loads and people. Camels are laden
with loads larger than could be carried in the bed of a
small pick-up truck. People from societies where the major
association with animals is through pets and where stringent
laws regulate animal treatment often find the sight of working
animals in Egypt upsetting. These animals are necessary
to ease the human burden in a country that is heavily
labour intensive.
Other animals seen frequently in and around the streets
include stray cats and dogs. It is easy to figure out which cats
and dogs belong to the streets. They look scruffy, scraggly and
gnarly. Stray animals hang around docks, hotel entrances,
alleys and restaurants—anywhere they might find food. Cats
serve a good purpose by keeping the rodent population down.
They can frequently be seen wandering around tables or on
rafters in some outdoor restaurants.
Expatriates who are not thrilled with their assignments
in Egypt sometimes refer to stray dogs as ‘tickets’. Many of
these animals carry fleas, ticks and diseases, including rabies.
Never feed stray animals as this tourist is doing. Rabies is common
among strays.