In the Colombian city of Mosquera, an abundance of stray dogs has become a big problem for human residents, who were bitten in record numbers last year. Public outcry over the mayor’s contention that all strays should be killed has led to some positive steps, including the creation of a task force whose aims are building an animal shelter, enforcing vaccination requirements and cracking down on dog sales. Our colleague Chris Kraul has the details; here’s an excerpt:
Listening to yet another constituent complain about the thousands of
neglected, scruffy mutts that prowl the streets of his town, Mosquera
Mayor Luis Alvaro Rincon went ballistic. "A street dog," he ground out,
"is a dead dog."
His fist pumping and voice rising as applause at the community
gathering grew, he said, "It’s an order. Round them up and kill them!"
Rincon’s
exasperation last summer was in some ways understandable. This suburb
of Bogota has long been a dumping ground for canines whose owners are
too uninterested or financially strapped to care for them. Now there
may be 30,000 stray dogs here and in two adjoining suburbs, Madrid and
Vaca.
"I know environmentalists won’t like it, but if they
don’t, they should come to Mosquera and take a dog home with them,"
Rincon said.
Driving around the Porvenir Rio barrio, one gets
the impression that there are more dogs than people. They seem to be
everywhere: foraging for food, lounging in the shade or sauntering
across streets and alleys.
THERE’S MORE; READ THE REST.
Photo: Stray dogs in Mosquera. Credit: Chris Kraul / Los Angeles Times