SIBU: The Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) has decided to address the increasing number of stray dogs in the area by outsourcing the dog-catching work to contractors.
Its chairman Clarence Ting Ing Horh said that the rising stray dog population has become a significant problem for the council and required a prompt solution.
“The council sole dog catching team catches between 90 to 200 dogs a month.
“In Sibu we have many people bitten by dogs and fortunately they do not get rabies but the danger is there also. So we need to stop this fast,” he said at the council full board meeting last Wednesday.
To tackle the problem effectively, Ting emphasised the need to enlist the help of two contractors who could supplement the council’s existing dog-catching team.
At present forming a new team under the council’s jurisdiction would require a lengthy application process with the Public Service Department (PSD).
Hence, he stressed that the council would need to get two contractors to supplement the council’s dog catching team.
“It will be a very lengthy process if we are to apply to PSD to form another team (council own).
“So I encourage we outsource the work. We need to look into the issue fast due to the threat of rabies,” he stressed.
Ting urged dog owners to take responsibility for their pets and refrain from allowing them to roam freely on the streets and roads.
“For any dog that we catch, we will not release them and the owners also cannot claim them,” he warned.
