Animal welfare advocates in Bacolod City are pushing for ways to address concerns brought about by stray cats and dogs around the city.
A report on Wednesday, June 21, showed that Alaga.BCD, an alliance between private non-government organizations (NGOs) comprised of various animal welfare advocate groups partnering with the local government unit (LGU), recommended five solutions, which they presented during a meeting with Councilor Celia Flor on Tuesday, June 20.
“Animal owners need to become responsible pet owners. This is where the problem starts, because the pet owners themselves are not responsible,” Irene Gamboa, vice president of Community Animal Rescue Efforts (CARE) Inc., said in an interview.
The recommendations include free spay and neutering, an animal welfare awareness educational campaign, a rehabilitation and recreation park for dogs and cats, an animal welfare complaints station and an adoption drive.
Alaga.BCD said this is in line with their mission to invite LGUs and NGOs to work together and their vision of making Bacolod an “animal friendly city with responsible pet owners.”
In their presentation, the alliance cited Section 10 of the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, which states that to eradicate rabies, there is a need to control the dog population and minimize the number of unwanted stray dogs.
They noted that common problems caused by stray animals include overpopulation resulting in overcrowded dog pound facilities, bite/rabies incidents, chasing of passers-by and bikers resulting in vehicular accidents as well as dog meat trading, scattered trash due to scavenging of strays, increasing number of animal abuse and scattered feces.
According to Alaga.BCD, spay and neuter or “kapon” is the only process to curb the overpopulation of stray dogs and cats, wherein neutered animals would mean no unwanted pregnancy, no litters of puppies or kittens, no strays, and no need for impounding.
“Impounding and killing of strays will not resolve the issue. We need a long-term permanent solution not a ‘band-aid’ solution,” the group added.
Moreover, Gamboa said Alaga.BCD is also working to address the rampant cases of dog meat trading, particularly in Bacolod.
“We have received many reports of people going around buying dogs that they bring out-of-town to be sold as dog meat,” she added.
Gamboa appealed to concerned citizens to take a photo or video of activities related to dog meat trading and report the incident to their group, the barangay or the police. (PNA)