Harare City Council to gun down stray dogs

Harare has recorded 858 cases of dog bites since January, prompting local authority to gun down stray dogs as part of measures to prevent the spread of rabies.

Last week alone, the city had 35 reported cases of dog bites, while 27 cases were reported during the previous week.

In an interview with The Herald yesterday, Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said the rate and ultimate rise of dog bite incidences in the city was alarming and prompted the city to consider shooting all stray dogs.

"We are advising Harare residents to take measures to ensure the safety of both their dogs and other residents.

"As part of the city's measures to protect residents, we are going to be gunning down stray dogs in the city because of the rapid rise of dog bite incidences," said Mr Chideme.

He warned residents with dogs to ensure that their premises are gated and fenced to prevent incidences where vaccinated dogs are caught up in the process of trying to get rid of stray dogs, which are neither registered nor vaccinated.

"We urge people to keep their dogs on leashes when they are in transit with their pets. People must also take their dogs for vaccination to avoid a situation where victims of dog bites are infected with rabies, a deadly disease, which can result in fatalities," added Mr Chideme.

The shooting of stray dogs is normally supposed to be carried out on a yearly basis but has been restricted in most provinces in the country because of cash constraints.

Earlier this year, stray dogs mauled a four-year-old boy, and left another boy for dead in Masvingo, an incident which prompted the Masvingo municipality and its partners to shoot stray dogs.