AT LEAST 20 dogs are being shot daily in Masvingo in a controversial operation by the town council, police and veterinary services to curb the spread of anthrax, it emerged on Monday. Since February 13, police sharp shooters accompanied by municipal security guards have been mowing down unaccompanied dogs. But some residents complain that their dogs have been shot indiscriminately during the exercise which will run until March 14. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has admitted that it was on board with the operation. The organisation, which traditionally offers refuge to stray animals, says lack of funding has curtailed its work. John Chikomo, the SPCA’S regional manager for Masvingo, said they were against “indiscriminate shooting of stray dogs”, but said they were powerless to stop the exercise because they lacked an alternative strategy to the one pursed by local authorities owing to “resource challenges”. Ernest Chadamana, a resident of the Rhodene neighbourhood, told how his dog was shot after it strayed meters from his yard.
“That is cruelty of the highest order, and I wonder what SPCA is doing in that taskforce,” he said. One resident from Mucheke suburb told how his dog jumped a perimeter wall to mate with a bitch which was on heat next door. “That is when it met its fate as municipal police met the dogs outside and opened fire without even talking to the owners. They killed six dogs on the spot,” Tedius Shoko claimed. Provincial veterinary chief Ernest Dzimwazha said residents had been given advance warning to keep their dogs contained to allow them to rid the city of stray animals. He said: “We put notices in all schools and council office notice boards. For the residents to complain that they have been caught unaware is not being honest. “We will continue shooting these stray dogs as a measure to contain anthrax in the city.” He said Masvingo had the highest number of reported anthrax cases countrywide. Stray dogs posed a danger to city residents as they regularly came into contact with wild animals on the city’s fringes. Dzimwazha said there was always the option to vaccinate the dogs, but said it would cost US$100 per dog – money that neither the council nor central government had.
- RSOE Edis
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