Other Publications
Worldwide objection to dog extermination program
Luh De Suriyani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Sat, 04/18/2009 2:21 PM | Bali
Former movie star Brigitte Bardot has registered her strong protest against the Bali provincial administration for exterminating dogs after the recent outbreak of rabies on the island.
Through her Paris-based Brigitte Bardot Foundation she said: "My foundation has been overwhelmed by calls and emails denouncing the horrible poisoning with strychnine of stray dogs and cats in what is known to be a paradise for tourist. I beg you to stop this most cruel way of trying to solve the rabies problem and seek the help of the local animal welfare organization and international experts in the field of rabies control."
In addition to Bardot's letter, dated March 19, 2009, the administration also received protest letters sent by animal rights organizations from various countries.
"So far we have received 50 letters from organizations around the world saying that they are against the dog extermination program to prevent rabies from spreading across the island," Putri Jayaningsih, head of the Bali veterinarian office's monitoring, prevention and management of animal health department.
"I will deliver these letters to Governor Made Mangku Pastika to be reviewed," Jayaningsih said.
She added that many organizations in foreign countries did not have clear information on the current situation in Bali.
"There are hundreds of stray dogs hanging around on Bali's streets in urban and rural areas," she explained.
According to data from the Yudisthira Swarga foundation, there are an estimated 540,000 dogs or 96 dogs per square kilometer. Bali's population is 3.2 million people. In Badung regency, the area most affected by the rabies outbreak, there are around 40,000 dogs.
During the current rabies outbreak, the administration has eliminated 5,040 dogs, including 1,925 dogs in Badung regency and 492 in Denpasar.
In an attempt to free the island of rabies, dogs suspected of carrying the disease are captured and then fed food laced with strychnine.
"The process takes around five minutes to complete," she said.
She admitted that it is very difficult to control the rapid growth of dog populations on the island.
"We will continue giving vac-cinations and control health conditions of mostly stray dogs," she said, acknowledging that a lack of human resources and funding has hampered the administrations attempts.
In Bali, not all suspected dogs are exterminated using poison.
Many villages have refused to take part in the program. Some villages are conducting their own prevention programs.
"We treat dogs respectfully. Before we kill the suspected dog, we hold a special ritual. We also hold a special cremation ceremony for the dead dogs," a village chief in Bangli regency said
What's On
- Franchise & Business Concept
11/13/2009 11/15/2009 Jakarta Convention Center - Indonesia Furniture Fair
11/14/2009 11/22/2009 Jakarta Convention Center - Indonesia Maternity & Baby Expo 2009
11/20/2009 11/22/2009 Jakarta Convention Center
- Festival of India
10/29/2009 12/15/2009 Balai Kartini & Umar Ismail Hall, Jakarta
- Best Dutch Books Designs
10/08/2009 11/12/2009 Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta (Tel. 5241069) - Imagemakers of the Future: Photography exhibition
10/10/2009 11/30/2009 Alila Ubud Desa Melinggih Kelod Payangan, Gianyar 80572, Bali - Power of the Shape. Sculpture exhibition by Dolorosa Sinaga
10/29/2009 11/15/2009 Kendra Gallery of Contemporary Art, Bali Until Nov. 15 Jl. Drupadi No.88B, Basangkasa Seminyak, Bali
Denni hooping (not verified) — Sun, 04/19/2009 - 11:28am
It really does make ones heart sink. If certain of Indonesia's administrators became as effective at attracting good press as they are at attracting bad press. On this occasion in Bali they seem to have soared to spectacular heights by securing massive international attention and condemnation over their handling of the rabies problem.
This has all the hallmarks of being one of those situations where a typical group of arrogant officials refuse point blank to seek or take any expert advice at all. “We live here, we know best”, one can almost hear them rant. Have these stupid people got any idea at all of the harm this has done and continues to do to Bali's reputation? Have they any idea of the revenue loss it must inevitably cause? Do they not understand that people planning to visit Bali, especially those with young children, will change their plans upon hearing that Bali has an epidemic of rabies? Do they not understand that animal lovers will stay away in protest against their methods of control? Do they even care about the negative publicity they are creating, caused directly by their naive and amateurish handling of this situation? Or are they above all else, really more concerned about keeping their self inflated egos intact.
Putri Jayaningsih, head of the Bali veterinarian office's monitoring, prevention and management of animal health department, seems already to be looking for an avenue of escape from blame and responsibility by citing inadequate resources being at the root of the problem in carrying out a more effective program. What an absolute load of tosh! I would take a wild guess that at the root of the problem is an inefficient system of control prior to this outbreak.
If there was ever a situation where the expense of bringing in a team of International experts would be deemed, well worth it, this is it. No matter what the cost, this epidemic needs to be brought under control fast, and to be seen to be done efficiently and humanly. Almost more importantly, for Bali’s tourist reputation, the unbelievably bad publicity thus far, needs to be reversed.
Governor of Bali, Made Mangku Pastika and Ida Bagus Kade Subiksu, chief of the Bali Tourism Agency, should take this very seriously now and not wait for the inevitable news headlines around the World:
“Bali Paradise Faces International Condemnation for Barbaric and Ineffective Control of Rabies Epidemic. Tourists Warned – Stay Away!”
John Daniel (not verified) — Sun, 04/19/2009 - 5:17am
The Editor,
Despite the fact that Bali has been a rabies' declared area for over 6 months, there are still large numbers of stray and loose dogs running free on Bali's beaches and in other tourist areas. The problem in Bali that do-gooders like Bridgitte Bardot (reported in your pages April 18) don't understand is that there is a tradition here of allowing dogs to run free, a great tolerance of strays, and a huge dog population. The World Health Organization recommends mass vaccination programs combined with the 'removal of strays' and 'control of dog movement.' The attitude to dogs here has to undergo a sea change if rabies is to be brought under control. Whilst using baits to cull dogs is cruel, perhaps resources don't enable other methods. To expose tourists who are perhaps ignorant of the rabies' danger to loose and stray dogs on Bali's beaches is outrageous. If my children were still young there is no way I would take them to Bali's beaches and let them play amongst the dogs there. Unbelievably many of these dogs are still untagged and therefore presumably unvaccinated. One scratch or a small bite would mean a standard regime of 5 vaccinations or the risk of an unimaginably horrible death from a disease that is incurable once symptoms occur.
The terrible nature of the rabies disease is what do-gooders need to concentrate on, not the cruelty to the strays and loose dogs that have to be removed or controlled. There are humane methods of putting dogs to sleep but if you don't have the resources what do you do? Ignore the problem? Let it explode? Try to hide it?