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ENPASAR: The mayor of Denpasar city has issued an executive order aimed at containing the spread of rabies in the island's capital, a senior official has announced.

"The executive order focuses on the responsibilities of pet owners to play an active role in containing and preventing the spread of the epidemic," the head of Denpasar's veterinary agency, Dewa Made Ngurah, said Wednesday.

He added that the executive order was signed by the mayor on Oct. 9.

The order stipulates that pet owners must put a leash on or provide a decent cage for their pets. The owners are also responsible for ensuring their pets do not roam freely in the streets.

"The executive order provides us with the necessary legal ground to take firm measures against any stray dogs in the streets," he said, adding that such measures included culling.

The rabies epidemic hit Bali late last year. Southern parts of Badung and Denpasar have been officially declared rabies-infected areas. Recently, the epidemic has spread into the neighboring regency of Tabanan.

Several measures have been launched to contain the epidemic, including mass culling targeting street dogs, a mass vaccination of pet dogs, and the distribution of anti-rabies vaccines for humans to community health centers in infected areas.