Lights out for Kupang dogs

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: At least 170,000 dogs in East Flores will be put to sleep after a health team discovered that at least eight people had recently died of rabies.

"In order for this area to be free of the 'mad dog' disease, all dogs have to be slain because this disease has spread quite widely," the head of the provincial livestock office, TH. Salean, said yesterday.

He said that a recent Ministry of Health team had confirmed that the eight people who died after being bitten by a dog had died of the deadly disease.

East Flores regent Henky Mukin said such a mass slaying of dogs was necessary and that without drastic measures the disease would sooner or later spread to surrounding islands.

"We anticipate that there will be protests from the community, but there is really no other way. If we don't, more people will die," he said as quoted by Antara.

"We understand that people may feel disgusted about this, but which is better: killing the dogs or letting humans die because of the rabies carried by the dogs?" he added. (mds)