Unlicensed dog breeding in Zimbabwe is surging, leading to dangerous dog attacks and public health concerns, as enforcement of breeding regulations remains weak.

As night falls in Zengeza, a suburb of Chitungwiza, 21km south of Harare, packs of large dogs roam the streets. They scavenge at dump-sites and only return to their owners' yards at dawn.

"We live in constant fear of the dogs because they have become a threat to the community, and the responsible authorities are not taking action," said resident Sheila Muganhu.

"We fear attacks and [for] the health of our children, because we have heard of attacks around the country."

It is only a matter of time, residents say, before there is a serious attack.

In Zimbabwe, dog bite cases have become a pressing public health concern.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care's Weekly Disease Surveillance Report for the week ending 4 January 2026, 619 dog bite cases occurred in just that one week across the country.

In only about one in five of those cases could the ministry establish that the dogs were vaccinated against disease, while the vaccination status of more than half of the dogs involved in the attacks could not be ascertained.

The number for that week is not atypical. In late 2025, statistics from an earlier version of the same...