Hundreds of dogs were poisoned in the Pakistani city of Karachi by local officials, reportedly in an attempt to curb the population of strays that were apparently attacking thousands of people each year.
Bodies of dead dogs littered the streets of the city as the municipal workers gathered them for disposal.
Warning: Graphic visuals below
A rather unapologetic spokesman for the Karachi municipal authority, Sattar Javed said:
At least 700 dogs have been killed only in two areas in south Karachi in the last couple of days.
Officials estimated that the city-wide operation that started earlier this week had culled thousands of strays. However, they did not have a full accounting for all six city districts.
The periodic culling of dogs using poison tablets hidden in chicken meat has drawn criticism from animal rights activists in Pakistan. However, another official, Mohammad Zahid, said it was ‘necessary’ because packs of strays posed a threat to residents and the number of cases of people bitten by dogs was increasing.
The action garnered negative reactions on social media. Former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto’s youngest daughter expressed her anguish over the incident on twitter.
Taking inspiration from Aseefa, Sharmila Farooqi, Pakistan People Party’s MPA managed to introduce a private bill assembly entitled “The Welfare & Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of Sindh 2016” when she learnt of the culling of street dogs.
Farooqi went on to thank Aseefa as the driving force behind moving the bill.
(With Reuters inputs)
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