China Battles Rabies

This looks like a big step up from last year’s massacre of dogs in one Chinese province. But the article raises some equally big questions. 1) What is to be done with all the strays AFTER they have been innoculated? 2) Is this some tactic to go after dogs that have homes?

If there are any Chinese Dogsters or others who would like to answer these questions and give us all more info, PLEASE bark in!

This article was in the Teluga Portal.

Beijing, Oct 27 (Xinhua) Chinese authorities have embarked on a two-month extensive drive to remove stray dogs from Beijing’s streets as precautions are stepped up against the threat of rabies.

China recorded 2,254 rabies cases in the first nine months, a 30 percent rise over the same period last year.

All stray dogs will be handed over to public security offices for inoculation, according to a municipal decision on dog management.

“The campaign aims to protect the public against ferocious stray dogs. Catching and inoculating the stray dogs is a way to curb the spread of rabies,” said Ji Lin, vice mayor of Beijing.

However, he admitted that he was “not optimistic” about preventing rabies and biting cases due to the large number of stray dogs in the city.

Despite this reservation, he has promised to capture every stray dog in two months.

The police found 8,961 unlicensed dogs this year, of which 831 were stray dogs.

The municipal office in Beijing said that over 550,000 dogs were registered in the city, a 20 percent increase over last year.

Statistics from the Beijing Association of Small Animal Protection show that there are over one million registered and unregistered dogs in Beijing.

More than 110,000 people in China were given rabies vaccines after being bitten by pets in the first eight months and nine have died of rabies.

Follow the link to read the rest of the article.