THE government has been urged to reconsider the plan to set up a BD1 million shelter for stray dogs, that was put on hold following budget constraints a few years ago.
Members of the Northern Municipal Council stressed that the project was the need of the hour as residents of the governorate have been living in fear of being attacked by dogs anytime of the day.
They claimed that Black Gold, the company contracted to tackle strays, was unable to control the population that have allegedly increased over the last few years.
Councillors also demanded that the Animal Wealth Directorate provide a time frame for implementation of the comprehensive shelter.
Council’s technical committee chairman Abdullah Al Qubaisi called on the government to reconsider the shelter plan that was approved in 2016.
“In 2018, the budget for the project just disappeared, it is obvious that the concerned ministry has failed to come up with an adequate solution to the stray dog menace over the last few years,” said Mr Al Qubaisi during the council’s bi-weekly meeting.
“Black Gold was hired to work round-the-clock for seven days a week to capture strays following complaints from residents.
“All that is being done is, dogs are being captured, neutered and being released once again into the streets, which is not a solution.
“In the past six months, Black Gold hasn’t even captured 1,000 dogs and they are understaffed and unable to carry out the operation in accordance with requirements.
“This issue must be referred to the Cabinet immediately because the ministry has failed to do its duty,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, council chairman Ahmed Al Kooheji stressed the need for a ‘radical solution’ to the problem. He added that more than one company could be tendered to ensure that they can accommodate the requirements to control ‘the burgeoning stray population’.
“The government needs to go back and implement the original proposed shelter and they should involve the civil societies that care for these animals,” said Mr Al Kooheji.
“It could be a community partnership that brings together all parties for an appropriate solution. We cannot rely solely on Black Gold as they cannot single-handedly bear the burden.”
Councillor Mohammed Al Dossari said he had requested to see the official contract of Black Gold multiple times in vain.
“Regardless of the stray dog attacks, we need to raise more awareness about the issue,” said councillor Ahmed Al Mannai.
“There is a stray dog in my area that doesn’t attack anyone, however, he has a unique feature. If people forget to close their doors, the dog sneaks into their homes and steals their slippers.”
Councillors also debated the ministry’s refusal to shut down a private residential villa allegedly housing stray animals in the Northern Governorate. They unanimously approved the proposal insisting on implementation of the government shelter while also specifying a time frame for the project.
Meanwhile, a representative from Black Gold responded to the claims raised at the meeting.
“We catch an average of 120 to 150 dogs per month,” the representative said.
“Our job is just to collect strays from across the kingdom and relocate them and we are doing our best, given the overpopulation.
“We safely catch the animals and provide them care. The stray dog issue is bigger than us and we cannot create a solution; that must come systematically from the concerned authorities.”
The GDN earlier reported that soaring costs of relocating pets abroad had led to many being dumped, further aggravating the stray animal crisis in the kingdom.
Invoices obtained exclusively by the GDN revealed that costs can range from a few hundred dinars to edging close to BD2,000, with the price of the flight taking the lion’s share of the bill.
Social media platforms such as Pet Forum Bahrain offer advice on safe and cost-effective methods to relocate pets, although there appear to be no ‘cheap options’ available. As a result animal shelters in Bahrain are bursting at the seams as they try to accommodate growing numbers of strays and dumped pets.
reem@gdnmedia.bh
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