The Agricultural Technician for the Ministry of Agro Industry says that wild dogs are an imminent threat to our society. They are born in the wild and when they grow up they can be ferocious. It has been reported that wild dogs tend to stray where there is food available and have already attacked goats and perhaps one day will also attack human beings. We have also observed that these animals eat raw meat and this will alter their behavior. The Government intends to renew its sensitization campaign to mass sterilize campaign dogs to prevent unnecessary births. When there are unwanted pregnancies,
owners tend to abandon the puppies by the seaside and in wastelands.
The Government has set up a mobile clinic and has also held some seminars in Social Centers in various parts of the island. Instead of asking people to go and seek for help from the Veterinarian Society, the Government has chosen the decision to go to the public. Furthermore, the campaign has also reached the schools to inform the young students on the importance of sterilization. Besides having important sessions throughout nearly all the Social Centers, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the Veterinarian Society will launch a campaign to reduce the number of stray dogs in the north of the island. It is not pleasant for tourists to witness dogs roaming around and scavenging.
The Chief Inspector at the MSPCA (Mauritius Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has said that sterilization is insufficient, as this is not the root of the problem, Though sterilization can reduce the number of wild dogs running wild, however, it is the issue of straying that causes the problem. Dogs may have an owner, and the owner may even sterilize the dog, but if he lets the dog looses then it is a nuisance. We must conduct an aggressive dog catching campaign and inform the public on the hazards of straying. Also there is the issue of unwanted puppies. People feel guilty when they have to kill an animal, and prefer to just get rid of it. According to the opinions of the public in general, we must have a law that restricts the number of dogs that a family can keep. For example, there exists a pensioner who owns up seven dogs. That pensioner said that there is a hotel nearby that threw food away and in order to feed the dogs, they would set them loose and scavenge at the hotel.
Normally, we cannot allow this to happen. We ha