BEAUFORT: Residents here have raised public safety concerns over the growing stray dog population.
A local community leader, Hassan Wahid, went as far as describing the stray dog problem as an explosive that could explode at any time.
“These dogs are not just a nuisance, they are a ticking time bomb,” he said.
It is learned that some encounters with aggressive stray dogs have left motorcyclists and pedestrians black and blue. Some of these incidents were reported to have occurred at Kg Lukut and Kg Selinsing.
“It is like walking through a minefield,” said a villager, Mohd Jowalia Kimsin.
Unfed and uncared for, stray dogs would naturally rummage through garbage bins, causing health concerns among residents.
Despite their call for action to be taken against the stray dogs, residents told the relevant authorities to practice compassion.
“We don’t want the dogs to be put down. We just want them to be safely managed and removed from our streets,” they said.
Suggestions have been forwarded to the District Council and the Veterinary Services which include trapping programmes, establishing designated shelters and implementing strict breeding control measures.
