Legal action sought in stray dogs poisoning cases

Manama : Animal welfare activists have called for immediate action against dog-killers after dozens of stray dogs were apparently poisoned in the Capital Governorate in the past few days.  

This matter first surfaced when Bahrain Strays, a group concerned about rescuing stray animals in Bahrain, posted on its official pages on social networks that many dogs were poisoned in Tubli.

“Please whoever is taking care of strays hide them somewhere because the residents decided to poison them and get rid of them,” the group announced, adding that they were some pregnant were also poisoned.

As reported earlier on DT News, stray dogs have been a matter of debate for the past few years in Bahrain as their numbers have been increasing in the four governorates of the Kingdom.

This issue has been highlighted especially when stray dogs’ attacks against humans and pets were reported, while an equal number of vicious attacks against the strays were also reported.

In November, a Bahraini woman attacked a foreign animal welfare activist when the latter released stray dogs from special cages placed by the municipality to catch stray dogs in Tubli. According to the activist, she had to move the strays she regularly fed to another area, as the woman threatened to poison them. The matter was referred to the police.

A source told DT News yesterday, “A lot of dogs were found dead, after being poisoned in Tubli area. Some locals say it was done by few residents of Tubli but nobody could name them. This act is extremely inhumane as the municipality is already taking action to tackle the increasing numbers of stray dogs in the area, so we do not need people to poison them. I think the authorities should really think of a way to put an end to this inhumane act.”

Police Interfere

Interior Ministry yesterday tweeted that it’s following up on the poisoning incidents. “Capital Governorate Police is investigating the case of a circulated video through social media of dead dogs found in Tubli after they were poisoned,” it was posted on the ministry’s official Twitter page.

Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, which is in charge of municipalities in the Kingdom, condemned the act of poisoning the dogs.

“The ministry strongly denounces the act committed by unknown individuals to poison stray dogs in Tubli. The ministry is implementing an effective strategy to tackle the stray dogs’ phenomenon within the frame of the law and animal welfare regulations. Any cases related to the matter could be reported to the ministry on 34325639,” the ministry said in a statement issued here yesterday.