Authorities in the Bosnian capital
Sarajevo are setting up a special dog-catching service to clear the
city's streets of dangerous strays - but animal welfare activists
warn the plans are insufficient.
16 September 2014
Aggressive street dogs are a big
problem for Bosnia-Hercegovina - it's thought there are around 12,000
homeless dogs roaming the streets of the capital, the
Independent Balkans News Agency reports. Around 1,000 people were
attacked by stray dogs in Sarajevo last year, regional news
website Balkan Insight adds. "We have to react and we are
starting a crew to catch the dangerous dogs," says Zlatko
Petrovic, Sarajevo Canton environment minister.
But it's not clear what will happen to
the dogs once they are caught. In 2009, it became illegal to
euthanise stray dogs and the city's only dog shelter is reportedly
already full. Meanwhile, Bosnian social media is full of
reports of canines being rounded up and killed as frustrated
residents take the law into their own hands.
UK charity Dogs Trust, which runs
a programme in Bosnia to vaccinate and castrate stray dogs, says the
main problem is that existing laws are not enforced properly - and
what the city really needs is more animal shelters and medical
centres.
(source: BBC)
