Baghdad opens campaign to kill city's stray dogs

Baghdad authorities killed more than 200 stray dogs today, the opening day of a campaign to manage dog packs roaming the capital that was prompted by a spate of attacks on residents.

Three teams of veterinarians and police officers used poisoned meat and rifles to kill the animals, said Dr Hassan Chaloub, an official at the veterinary hospital supervising the effort. He said the capital has no dog shelters.

The campaign started in western Baghdad and will move to the eastern half of the city early next year.

Thirteen people died in August alone in the capital after being attacked by dogs, according to Baghdad’s provincial council, which is overseeing the campaign.

People in some neighbourhoods have been too frightened to go outside when the dogs are present.

“For many days, people, including me, could not go to work in the morning because of these dogs,” said Jinan Abdul-Amir, who lives in the Sadiyah neighbourhood in south-west Baghdad. “I came here today to the veterinary hospital to file a complaint.”

Under Saddam Hussein, authorities killed stray dogs in the capital almost every year, but the practice ended with his ousting in 2003.

Since then, local officials estimate, the number of strays in Baghdad has grown to more than a thousand.