58,000 dogs killed in Baghdad

TEAMS of vets and police shooters have killed some 58,000 stray dogs in and about the Iraqi capital over the past three months as part of a campaign to curb an increasing number of strays blamed for attacks on residents.

The Baghdad provincial government said in a statement yesterday that 20 teams have been moving around Baghdad and its districts looking for and putting down the dogs.

The surge in strays — estimated by officials to number about 1.25 million — is linked to a bustling city life returning with open air markets and the dogs are able to find more food and are having bigger litters.