KUCHING: Many people agree to the killing of all stray dogs in order to prevent more rabies outbreaks in the state, but only as the last resort.
This is in line with a statement from Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) chairman Datuk Peter Minos, who suggested that in a worst-case scenario, the state government should follow what the United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong governments did in putting a stop to the mad-cow and bird flu outbreaks in recent years.
“If what the state government is doing right now cannot stop the spread of rabies, then the government might just resort to taking the drastic act of killing all stray dogs in rabies-infected areas,” said Minos.
A local council worker who identified himself as just Lim agreed with the suggestion if only the diseased stray dogs were killed.
“There is no need to get rid of every stray dog. Most of them have been neutered and vaccinated.
“These dogs have been fitted with distinctive collars. They do not pose a safety risk,” he explained.
According to him, more awareness campaigns and free rabies vaccination programmes should be carried out.
For Bakar Suut, a councillor from MBKS, killing all the stray dogs would be a last resort.
“I understand the concerns of animal rights advocates but our main priority is to prevent human deaths. To date, rabies has caused 15 deaths. We must get rid of rabies now as the situation is getting scary,” he said.
The latest victim of rabies was 64-year-old Chung Jee Hiong.
So far, only Limbang Division has been declared rabies free.
