Woman Allegedly Mauled To Death By Dogs At Her Animal Shelter

A British woman, who worked at an Egyptian animal shelter, was found dead at Red Sea city, Dahab, on Friday.

The victim, identified as 61-year-old Anne Johnson, was found dead next to a bag of food with injuries to her face and neck.

Officials believe she was mauled to death by three dogs at the shelter while she attempted to feed them. However, a friend of Anne reportedly mentioned that the dogs might have bitten her after she collapsed and lost consciousness.

The victim’s remains were sent to the forensic department for further examination to find the exact cause of her death.

Johnson had worked to save abandoned and stray animals in Egypt for 16 years. She founded a UK-based non-profit shelter for the animals which she largely ran single-handedly. The animals she looked after included rabbits, cats, horses, dogs and a donkey.

Friends and family members of Johnson said they fear the police were using her death as an excuse to shut down the shelter which was unpopular with the locals who were afraid of the stray dogs. They are desperately trying to re-home the animals she had been looking after, they said.

“Authorities have tried shutting her down for years, they’re obviously using this to push for the shelter to be shut down. We are very concerned for the animals. She dedicated her life to the dogs. This is not what she would have wanted,” they said.

A foreign office spokesperson said, "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Egypt and are in contact with the Egyptian authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time."

The exact cause of Johnson’s death was yet to be determined as the investigation was still on-going.