Rabies epidemic: Livestock Department says it won't cull Thailand's soi dogs

 

FILE photo

 

Livestock Dept promises “No Set Zero”

 

The Department of Livestock Development (DLD) gave assurances yesterday to Soi Dog Foundation that the department will not follow a policy of “Set Zero” – wiping out all stray dogs in Thailand.

 

The assurance that there will be no countrywide slaughter came from the DLD’s Director of the Division of Veterinary Quarantine and Inspection, Dr Burin Sorasithisookkul.

 

It came after social-media-fueled fear of a rabies outbreak across many parts of the country led some people to call for a “Set Zero” solution to be applied to Thailand’s estimated 8 million street dogs.

 

In a private meeting with Soi Dog’s Special Project Coordinator, Ms Varaporn Jittanonta, Dr Burin stressed that the DLD does have the legal right to destroy dogs believed or suspected to be rabid.

 

However, the department will form a commission to decide on means and ways of controlling rabies. The commission, he said, will include representatives of the public and NGOs.

 

In addition, he said that he had scheduled an urgent meeting of provincial-level livestock officials to review principles of rabies control.

 

When laboratory tests confirm a case of rabies in a certain area, a Rabies Outbreak Zone will be declared in that area.

 

Mass free vaccination will be carried out in the zone by the DLD and local authorities, Dr Burin said, adding that NGOs will be urged to help.

 

All dogs and cats without owners living within a radius of one kilometre of where the infected animal was found will be impounded for at least a month for observation.

 

Unowned dogs and cats outside that radius but within five kilometres will be vaccinated and kept under observation for at least a month.

 

Dogs and cats that have owners must be re-vaccinated and kept strictly within the owner’s premises for at least a month.

 

Once the impounded dogs and cats are declared rabies-free they will be neutered and may be claimed by feeders or other interested people, or offered for adoption.

 

Dr Burin appealed for cooperation from all people involved and from NGOs in order to eliminate rabies from Thailand by a target date of 2023.

 

He also promised that the DLD will listen to people’s views more than it has in the past, but said no one should panic.

 

He added that he understands the power of social media but urged people to be sure of the facts before sharing posts. The DLD will make contact details for its offices more readily available so that people can request accurate information.

 

The DLD has offices in all 77 provinces and 878 districts in Thailand.

 

Source: Soi Dog Foundation

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-03-23

Those dogs also bite innocent people (even ones without rabies) and they cause roadaccidents, open binbags and are the cause of people not daring to take a walk outside.

 

Just cull them, this is the perfect moment for it.

yes yes... unwanted dogs/cats are more important than people potentially dying because , you know, feelings

17 minutes ago, Thian said:

Those dogs also bite innocent people (even ones without rabies) and they cause roadaccidents, open binbags and are the cause of people not daring to take a walk outside.

 

Just cull them, this is the perfect moment for it.

No no wait until its way 'way' waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to late then have a  half  hearted  committee set up to spend  a  few  weeks in another country  flown there in a private  jet etc to to  do "drum roll".............nothing

Although????  theyve given "assurances" and we  all know what that means!!

When officialdom refuses to act, it's up to the people to deal with the problem themselves.  Shame you can't buy antifreeze in Thailand.

So the authorities are content to have so many un-owned animals on the streets.  Also so tolerant to the many owners who do not keep their animals within the confines of their properties.  This shows a disgraceful lack of care for the community at large and does nothing to alleviate all the problems caused by soi dogs - fights, disease, mess.  The ‘angels’ who feed them do nothing to alleviate the problem, sometimes it makes it worse as packs form.  Wouldn’t it be nice to walk down a soi knowing younweren’t going to step in dogshit or be attacked by disease bearing strays? 

Of course not that would be non Buddhist like in the extreme to slaughter all those animals and as we are all aware Thais for the most part follow strictly all the tenants of Buddhism to the letter. Just look a what a fine example is set by so many monks here.. 

There is no rabies epidemic.

I was discussing this with a buddy the other day after his pet dog was attacked and bitten by a stray dog while on a family trip to the beach.

 

If you kick a soi dog, someone will get in your face for kicking 'their' dog. If you drive down the soi and kill a soi dog, someone will call the cops because you killed 'their' dog. But if your dog or worse, your kid gets bitten by a soi dog, then suddenly that dog doesn't belong to anyone.

 

So we reckoned they should just go around shooting these soi dogs and wait for the 'owners' to 'fess up.

Feeding and caring for Soi dogs.

Is a 100% selfish act. 

Children should be able to play and enjoy life  in safety in Thailand.

Shame on all you selfish do gooders. 

Put the dogs down now. 

 

47 minutes ago, Bangna Betty said:

So the authorities are content to have so many un-owned animals on the streets.  Also so tolerant to the many owners who do not keep their animals within the confines of their properties.  This shows a disgraceful lack of care for the community at large and does nothing to alleviate all the problems caused by soi dogs - fights, disease, mess.  The ‘angels’ who feed them do nothing to alleviate the problem, sometimes it makes it worse as packs form.  Wouldn’t it be nice to walk down a soi knowing younweren’t going to step in dogshit or be attacked by disease bearing strays? 

youre  being way to sensible, whenever Ive met "animal lovers" they have often turned out to be quite eccentric and irrational, ok...total fruitcakes

1 minute ago, stanleycoin said:

Feeding and caring for Soi dogs.

Is a 100% selfish act. 

Children should be able to play and enjoy life  in safety in Thailand.

Shame on all you selfish do gooders. 

Put the dogs down now. 

 

along with the do gooders

Can I conclude that the Livestock Department now takes full responsibility for any damage caused by the Soi Dogs?

Can insurance companies now forward claims, related to damage caused by Soi Dogs, to the Livestock Departments?

A better and more humane long term solution, than culling, would be to have a nationwide neutering programme for street dogs. Within a few years the problem would then gradually reduce to close to zero.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Livestock Department says it won't cull Thailand's soi dogs

And Ossy says this apathetic decision will cause rabies epidemic to spread. It is known that soi dogs and strays, between them, are by far the greatest risk of rabies spread but . . .

• the LD is either too lazy to carry out a cull of unwanted soi dogs and strays, or
• it is scared of the likely animal rights furore that a cull would provoke

If the LD - and the health and environment ministries involved - is committed to tackling the rabies problem, full-on and as if it means business, then the above 2 factors need to be answered.

 

Ossy says the rabies crisis will soon 'disappear', in the normal Thai way, under the carpet . . . until another half-dozen deaths spur them into some sort of action, again.

Yes, let's sacrifice a few humans to maintain the ownerless stray dog population........good idea???

1 hour ago, stanleycoin said:

Feeding and caring for Soi dogs.

Is a 100% selfish act. 

Children should be able to play and enjoy life  in safety in Thailand.

Shame on all you selfish do gooders. 

Put the dogs down now. 

 

Also many adult Thai won't walk the street because of those nasty dogs everywhere who will attack pedestrians.

 

This is why thai can't walk far and all sit down on the IKEA couches...it's why they always need a car/motocy for transport and why they have such a bad general condition.

 

Dogs also cause a lot of roadaccidents if they are allowed to run free.

3 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

good idea???

 Not.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Once the impounded dogs and cats are declared rabies-free they will be neutered and may be claimed by feeders or other interested people, or offered for adoption.

 

And if they're not claimed by anyone what happens? We all know the answer to that.

 

I can't even go for a walk in the GF's village because of the packs of dangerous dogs roaming nearby.

 

They really are missing an opportunity to do some good for the country.

 

 

the livestock department just exists to protect murdering farmers for killing animals to sell for a profit.

 

Its a sick joke to then kill other animals that may of may not kill animals on farms that will be sold for food. 

 

6 humans have died this year of rabies. 16 humans died in 1 road accident on tuesday. People die no need to kill animals when the world is already overloaded with too many humans 

2 hours ago, kannot said:

No no wait until its way 'way' waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to late

What you mean " wait until ", it is way too late already.

 

They could start by deporting those foreign " heroes" hailed on this forum who feed a few hundred soi dogs every day.

5 hours ago, Thian said:

Those dogs also bite innocent people (even ones without rabies) and they cause roadaccidents, open binbags and are the cause of people not daring to take a walk outside.

 

Just cull them, this is the perfect moment for it.

You're an unfeeling human being. The dogs didn't ask to be there.

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Yes, let's sacrifice a few humans to maintain the ownerless stray dog population........good idea???

Absolutely! Especially people like you.

I can't believe how many of you want innocent dogs to be killed.

 

Dogs are god's creatures too and a hell of a lot more faithful than any of you.

 

There are much better solutions than killing innocent animals who didn't ask for this life.

 

What makes you better than them?

Get rid of the soi dogs and who would be there to welcome customers to the front door steps of the local 7/11 or Family Mart?

It's a heath hazard just trying to get in and out of these shops.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

gave assurances yesterday to Soi Dog Foundation

Meaning Soi Dog Foundation lobbied/asked/demanded there would be no cleanup of dogs.

 

Which is understandable because the soi dog foundation is there to make money, and not solve the soi dog problem.

 

No soi dogs means nothing to do, no donations, and no reason to keep the foundation in place. Better keep the problem there and your own pockets filled.

I've been here since 05 and I know they wont do a thing.On reddit look up rabies/Thailand I have a bitcoin address you can donate to.Here in Nakhon Sawan we already have one case,but our poo yai says there's no money to deal with the problem

23 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

Absolutely! Especially people like you.

Settle down Bruce, don't you have a sense of humor?

They, (LD) will form a commission, in other words a committee - about as useful as tits on a bull, meanwhile the dog population will expand as will the potential for an all out rabies epidemic. Well done - they should be so proud of such a well considered outcome. 

To the Soi Dog Foundation and animal lovers. Please do not come into my neighborhood and feed the stray dogs. If you love them, adopt 1,2 or more, take them home and keep them off the streets. To those who abandon their pets, don't do it. Find some good samaritan to adopt them and give them a home off the streets.