Bali Community Comes Together To Prevent Mass Culling Of Local Dogs

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Bali communities have together to help protect community-owned and stray dogs in the province.

News circulated online that the provincial government was planning a mass cull of stray dogs. However, the cull has been avoided due to outcry from the community. The government has now reiterated the plans it has in place. 

The initial outcry came as many local residents were led to believe that the government was going to round up all stray dogs, or any dogs found on the street, hold them at a central location for two weeks, and if no one came to claim them, euthanize them all.

There were concerns that not only was this a deeply inhumane practice but that the euthanasia process would be violent. 

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There were concerns that a cull would have devastating impacts on the declining population of Balinese Kinsman dogs, a native and endangered breed on the island.

Culling stray and community-owned dogs has also been proven to be an ineffective measure of both controlling rabies and controlling dog populations.

The most effective methods of curbing rabies and controlling dog populations worldwide is through mass sterilization and vaccination.

Residents were concerned that perfectly healthy dogs would have been euthanized as part of the cull, that dogs that were cared for by their community would be identified as being stray or ‘wild’ and that stray dogs would be abused. 

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The Chairman of the Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) Bali Dewa Made Anom has shared his regret that misinformation that stated all stray dogs would be culled had been shared and has confirmed steps moving forward.

He confirmed that only dogs that test positive would be humanely euthanized, as is longstanding protocol, since there is no cure for rabies and death by rabies is a prolonged and painful experience for animals and also risks transmission to other animals and humans. 

Anom explained, “We carry out elimination measures for dogs that are positive for rabies, on those that have rabies…instead of him suffering, being tortured, we carried out lethal injection or euthanasia.”

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He added “We PDHI are a veterinary profession, a profession that loves animals. All members are veterinarians where we serve for public health through animals. That is our motto.”

The Acting Governor of Bali has also issued a statement to say that new plans will be drawn up to help prevent the spread of rabies in Bali.

He wrote “There is no elimination plan yet, the existing plan is how to optimize dog vaccination to prevent rabies, including stray dogs.”

However, as misinformation regarding rabies and stray dogs continues to circulate online, there are now concerns that the situation will lead to more dog poisonings in communities across Bali.

Dog poisonings are frequent in Bali and go through periods of worsening when misinformation is spread or there are reports of dog bites.

The poison is often hidden in ‘bunkus’ or small, innocuous-looking food parcels left out on the street or close to bins or rubbish dumps. The poisonings lead to painful and prolonged deaths in dogs, who seldom survive, even if they are taken to the vet.

Dog owners and those who care for community-owned dogs are advised to keep dogs in gated areas where possible and to prevent, as best as possible, dogs from eating food on the street or beach. 

The threat of rabies in Bali is serious and affects both humans and dogs. Anom told reporters that work must continue to combat the transmission of rabies in Bali.

He explained, “We are concerned that Bali has been nicknamed ‘Rabies Island’ for 15 years. We want Bali to be free soon and for the doors of Ngurah Rai Airport to be reopened, allowing dogs to enter and exit safely. Now, dog bites in Bali are the most [in Indonesia], we are in ‘first place’ and nine people have died [this year].”