Pakistan’s KP province to sterilize stray dogs, say officials

Stray dogs roam the streets of Peshawar on Nov. 12, 2019. (AN photo)

• The provincial administration previously killed these animals, but the practice was banned by a court that called it inhumane
• The overall project to deal with stray dogs may cost about Rs50 million

PESHAWAR: Following a volley of citizen complaints, the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has decided to start sterilizing thousands of stray dogs to cease their reproduction soon after the completion of the first-ever census of these animals by next week, an official said on Friday.
“Backed by thousands of staff, a comprehensive survey of stray dogs in Peshawar will be completed by coming Monday which will then set the sterilization process of these canines in motion,” Hassan Ai, media manager at the WSSP, told Arab News.
He added the provincial government previously killed stray dogs but a court verdict banned the practice, calling it inhumane.
After a series of meetings and deliberations, the WSSP, in coordination with other departments, reached a sterilization mechanism which would prevent dogs from breeding further and reduce the danger of them biting the general public.
Dr. Syed Masoom Ali, district director of the Livestock Department, told Arab News his team would carry out the sterilization and vaccination process for stray dogs.
“The male dogs will be surgically neutered while the female dogs will undergo spaying surgeries. The dogs will be tagged with microchips and a ribbon will also be tied to their collars to identify them after vaccination and sterilization,” he added.
Dr. Ali said a spacious location had been identified outside the city where these stray dogs would be kept for four days after necessary medical formalities.
The WSSP surged to action after it received an overwhelming number of citizen complaints through an app, Safa Pekhawar (Clean Peshawar), regarding stray dogs in the city.
Depending on the success of the drive, the provincial government could think about extending the program to other big cities of the province as well, said the WSSP media manager.
The vaccination of one dog, he said, would cost Rs2500. The vaccinated animals, he continued, would be kept in a solitary place for 15 days, adding that a rough estimate suggested that the project would cost Rs50 million.
“It is premature to say about the number of stray dogs in Peshawar city, but a ballpark estimate suggests it has surged to 15000,” Hassan Ali said.