Soi Dog Foundation and Lanta Animal Welfare urge Krabi provincial governor not to impound dogs
The following is a Press Release. The writing and opinions are not those of the Pattaya News.
Soi Dog Foundation (Soi Dog) and Lanta Animal Welfare (LAW) are urging Krabi Provincial Governor Kitibodee Kitibodee to revoke his order to round up and impound stray dogs at tourist hotspots in the province after a seven-year-old American boy was attacked at Ao Siao Beach on January 18.
The non-profit animal welfare organisations, based on the islands of Phuket and Koh Lanta respectively, relayed this message at a recent meeting with the governor, who has already approved the construction of a temporary shelter for the dogs. Also present at the meeting were representatives from local tambon administration organisations, the Krabi Municipality Office, the Department of Livestock Development and Krabi Hotel Association.
Soi Dog’s Community Relations Manager Sakdapol Thongjan explained that temporary shelters are not an effective, long-term solution. Operation of such shelters is costly, requiring veterinary and duty staff as well as food and medicine, all of which must be provided for the lifetime of the dogs housed there.
Mr. Sakdapol suggested that provincial budgets would be better spent on a long-term sterilisation and vaccination programme which is proven to be the most effective way to humanely and sustainably reduce stray dog populations. Soi Dog’s “Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return” (CNVR) programme has reduced the stray dog population in Phuket by over 90% and has been a significant contributing factor in the island reporting just one confirmed case of rabies in 24 years. Similarly, there have been no reported cases of rabies in Koh Lanta in the past 15 years thanks to LAW’s neuter and vaccinate programme.
Soi Dog and LAW acknowledged the governor’s position that incidents like that at Ao Siao Beach negatively impact the tourist image of Krabi. However, impounding the dogs addresses the symptoms of the issue and not the root cause. It has been shown that when dogs are cleared from an area, packs from neighbouring areas soon move in.
With reduced competition and a good supply of food (from garbage), they breed fast, and within a year or two, the dog population in the area climbs back to where it was before. Mr Sakdapol stressed that the best solution is to catch, neuter, vaccinate and then return the dogs to their territory. Managing the population and keeping the dogs healthy in this way will enhance the province’s image.
Naturally, there will be dogs with health issues or behavioural problems who cannot live within communities and should instead be cared for in a shelter. However, the shelter is a secondary solution and should run in conjunction with a CNVR programme.
LAW’s Dr Helen added that pet registration should also be encouraged so that owners can be traced when a pet is dumped on the streets. Soi Dog agrees but maintains that the government’s plan to make such registration mandatory under the Animal Cruelty Prevention Act requires careful scrutiny.
