Officials have poisoned hundreds of dogs in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi in the latest effort to curb a population of strays that attack thousands of people each year in the teeming mega-city of some 20 million.
Dog corpses were lying along the streets of the 20-million city, and the city employees have been disposing of them. Officials estimated the citywide operation that started this week had culled thousands of strays but did not have a full accounting for all six city districts.
"At least 700 dogs have been killed only in two areas of Karachi's south in the last couple of days," said Sattar Javed, a spokesman for the municipal authority.
The periodic culling of dogs using poison tablets hidden in chicken meat has drawn criticism from animal rights activists in Pakistan, but another city official, Mohammad Zahid, said it was necessary because packs of strays posed a threat to residents.
Last year, Karachi's Jinnah Hospital treated 6,500 people bitten by dogs and this year so far it has seen 3,700 cases, said Dr. Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency room.
"At least 700 dogs have been killed only in two areas of Karachi's south in the last couple of days," Sattar Javed, a spokesman for the municipal authority, confirmed to Reuters.
Here’s how the authorities kill the strays: they hide poison tablets in chicken meat, and give the meat to the animals.
The Pakistani animal rights activists have spoken out against the practice, but the city authorities said there is no other way to cope with the growing population of dogs, which attack the locals.
According to stats, last year, Karachi's Jinnah Hospital treated 6,500 people bitten by dogs, and this year saw about 3,700 incidents, according to Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency room, as quoted by Reuters.
Officials don’t have the exact estimates of the total number of strays killed at the moment. However, they say that thousands should be culled in total.
-Reuters/RT
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