Bali to control cat and dog population

Bali to control cat and dog population

JAKARTA (JP): Officials in Bali plan to control the population of cats and dogs in response to foreign visitors' complaints that islanders neglect the animals.

Head of the Animal Husbandry Office I Wayan Masudana says the provincial government has received letters from animal lovers, particularly from Britain and the United States, objecting to the way the Balinese treat cats and dogs.

The complainants said the two animals deserve better treatment, Wayan told Antara news agency.

Stray cats and dogs are common in Denpasar and other tourist resorts on the island. The sight of them appears to have upset many Western visitors.

"Their complaints are valid," Wayan acknowledged.

He explained, however, that Indonesians in general, and the Balinese in particular, are not attached to animals to the same extent as people in the West. Most Indonesians simply don't feel any responsibility to take care of dogs or cats.

"The few people who have cats and dogs as pets are rich," he said.

Wayan said the Bali provincial government is planning to bring the two animals' population under control and will appeal to people to keep cats and dogs as pets.

Many villagers have taken the initiative and pay people to catch stray cats and dogs. But they do not know what to do with the animals because no one is willing to take them, not even for free, Antara reported. (emb)