-
SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/21 January) — At least 253 stray dogs have been euthanized here since 2013 as part of the city’s campaign against rising cases of dog bites, Dr. Maridel Zerda, agriculture technologist of Surigao City Veterinary Office said.
Four persons died in 2014 due to rabies, Zerba said.
She said taking the lives of these dogs is backed up by an ordinance as the city government could not afford to keep all of them in shelters.
Zerda said their office seized a total of 161 stray dogs in 2013, 128 in 2014 and 60 in 2015. Out of these numbers, 128 were euthanized in 2013, 75 in 2014, and 50 in 2015.
Records show that for the same period – 2013-2015 – only 17 dogs were adopted while 96 were claimed by dog owners.
The Animal Bite Center of the Surigao City Health Office documented 1,510 cases of animal bites; 1,210 of them from dogs in 2013.
Garosfe Menor, head of animal bites center told MindaNews Wednesday that in 2014 there were at least 1,333 cases of dog bites and 1,327 last year. (Roel N. Catoto / MindaNews)