We are writing to protest the illegal killing of our beloved beach dog Solo on Dec. 11.
This beautiful and friendly Balinese dog was killed by a team with a "license to kill" on Kuta Beach, although Solo had been vaccinated for rabies and wore the appropriate tag around her neck. Her death, together with those of many other dogs during that morning raid, caused in my family and many other tourists' families on the beach not only sadness but also a fit of rage against the local authorities.
Although we have a very good understanding of the dangers of an outbreak of rabies for humans and animals, we do not understand why our dog was killed. Of course we went to the tourist police on Kuta Boulevard to file an official and signed "missing report" for Solo, including a request for an official identification procedure. So far there has been no response or follow-up from that side. In the mean time, we are back in Holland and feel it is our duty to write to express our feelings and questions as regular tourists to the beautiful Bali.
First, because rabies has spread to other districts in Bali, the dog-culling program has failed so far (status: 17,000 dogs confirmed dead out of a total of 500,000, or only 3 percent).
Second, rabies can also spread by other animals, such as cats, birds, monkeys and so on. Can one see the overall elimination program extending from the killings on the tourist beaches of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Canggu to the mass killing of these animals, i.e. the monkeys in the famous/touristy Monkey Forest in Ubud?
Third, we pledge to stop the killings and give your teams now a "license to live" by using those blowpipes for anti-rabies vaccination of the animals and of course the vaccination of the local population of Bali! Fourth, by doing this, you give tourists the right(!) signal that the authorities of Bali do care about the lives of animals and also about the welfare of your own people.
Fifth, we therefore suggest the start-up of an education program for the local community/families carried out by professional and motivated people! Use also the press for this positive approach!
And sixth, we realize that a preferred vaccination programme for humans and animals costs a lot of money. I'm convinced the WHO and other NGOs will give financial support for such a preventive healthcare program.
We as a Dutch family are still sorrowful about the loss of our 2-year-old Solo, our adopted beach dog. We miss her every day!
Wim and Silvana Smith and our two children
The Hague, the Netherlands
