Dogs poisoned to combat rabies

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Nearly 4,000 dogs were put down during the 1998/1999 fiscal year in a bid to eradicate rabies in the province, an official said on Sunday.

Yusmanto of the provincial husbandry office told Antara that the dogs were killed with strychnine added to their food.

Animals targeted were strays or those with a record of biting humans, Yusmanto said. Such animals were prone to contracting the formid inexo rabilis virus (FIR) which causes rabies.

"Some of the victims were dog owners who were bitten while touching their pets. Many people lack awareness that the FIR virus, which can infect those animals, can kill people in days," Yusmanto said.