Getting tough: Bangkok governor says time is up for soi dogs

Bangkok’s governor has called time on the capital’s soi dogs.

He has said that enough is enough; too many people are being bitten and harassed.

Measures adopted by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have proved insufficient and new plans are being made to address the problem of strays.

Officials in 50 districts are being trained in catching techniques and strays will be carted off up country after screening.

Governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang assured the public that dogs would not be killed – they would be looked after.

But he urged people who can no longer take care of their pets to contact the BMA and not discard them on the streets.

Aswin said that measures such as vaccinating, spaying and catching fierce dogs that bite people are proving insufficient.

So he has ordered his deputy Thaweesak Lertpraphan to meet with all those concerned in 50 districts to address the problem.

Numbers of soi dogs will first be noted in each district then teams will be assigned to round up those with no owner, those that are lost and those that are just plain dangerous to the public.

They will first be taken to a BMA facility in Prawet where they will be screened for diseases, vaccinated and sterilized.

Then they will be taken to a facility in Thapthan district of Uthai Thani – several provinces north away from Bangkok – to a dog pound there that can cater for 8,000 animals.

Aswin said that BMA staff will be trained in dog catching techniques so that the public will not have to wait so long for action when they make complaints about strays.

He called for other government agencies and non-governmental groups to help solve the problem. These include the Department of Public Health, the Veterinarian Department, university vet departments and dog loving organisations.

“We are not rounding up the dogs to kill them,” he said. “They will be taken care of and hopefully some will find new, responsible owners”.

He said that people who can no longer care for pets should not abandon them to the streets. He urged the public to take unwanted pets to his staff so they could be looked after properly.

Thai Visa / Daily News

Stay updated with Samui Times by following us on Facebook.