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Perilous
Times
Sri Lanka to kill three million stray dogs
AFP
January 07, 2012 7:51PM
SRI Lanka has lifted a moratorium on killing stray dogs as the
government attempts to cut down on the 2000 people that are
hospitalised every day after being bitten, a media report said
today.
Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena told the Swarnavahini
television network that the Government had decided to revert back
to destroying strays, a practice suspended five years ago, because
of rabies concerns.
"Clearly our new policy has failed...," Sirisena told the
privately run network. "As a government, we have decided to go
back to the previous practice."
Sri Lankan law allows the authorities to catch and kill stray
animals, but a presidential order suspended the practice in 2006
following lobbying by animal rights groups.
But the health minister said stray dog populations had rapidly
increased, to three million in recent years, and had become a
major public health issue in an island of 20 million people.
Some 2000 people are hospitalised daily after being bitten by
stray dogs, the minister said, adding that the authorities were
spending over $13 million annually to deal with the problem.
Animal rights activists said sterilisation efforts had failed
because of corruption and mismanagement by public health
officials.
"We want the Government to reconsider this decision and ensure a
humane treatment of these animals," said Sagarika
Rajakarunanayake, of the Satva Mithra animal rights group.
A health ministry official said the Government was going ahead
with plans for a sanctuary for stray dogs in the north of the
country, but rights activists said it was not a practical way to
look after stray animals.
They argued that the sterilisation programme should be made more
effective along with a campaign to vaccinate stray dogs against
rabies.ra