Dog culling in St Martin’s sparks outrage
Last week, a group of people were seen scouting the beaches of Saint Martin's island with a large net in hand. They were capturing dogs, and strangling them to death one by one, using a metal contraption.
The canines squirming and screaming to escape this death trap had become a common scene during winters in the island, and this has allegedly been happening under the supervision of Saint Martin's Union Parishad.
This month, they culled around a hundred dogs, and stopped only after a tourist challenged them on the legal grounds of this cruel act on February 13.
Samee Kader, a lawyer who was on holiday at the island, witnessed the culling. He told The Daily Star that a group of people were capturing dogs and killing them mercilessly.
He saw four spots on the beach where dead bodies of at least 30 dogs were piled up.
"When I challenged them and asked who ordered the culling, they were faltering to answer. At one point they said they were forest department staff, and fled when I asked them to produce identification documents," said Samee.
Riazul Haque, member of the island's Union Parishad, denied giving any order for dog culling, and claimed not to have any knowledge of it.
The Daily Star could not reach Shah Jahan Mia -- chairman of the union parishad -- for comments, as he is currently in prison.
Seeking anonymity, a former member of Saint Martin's Union Parishad told The Daily Star that every winter, the parishad has been hiring a group of people to cull dogs, as they find it to be the "easiest option" to keep the dog population of the island under control.
The group stays for three to four days and kills dogs whenever they find any, added the former secretary.
Mohammed Wahedul Alam, district livestock officer of Cox's Bazar told The Daily Star that this was a clear violation of animal welfare act-2019. "They can't cull dogs as the animals can be vaccinated," he said.
He said vaccination programme is usually led by health department.
Asked, Dr Mahbubur Rahman, civil surgeon of Cox's Bazar district told The Daily Star that vaccination programme is being conducted district-wise gradually.
"As I newly joined here, I don't know what happened exactly. I will look into the matter soon," he added.
Meanwhile, People for Animal Welfare Foundation, a rights group, yesterday condemned the culling, terming it a "hellish act of murder".
"We fear that this will encourage other local government bodies to perform such cruelty, despite it being illegal. The best way to control the number of dogs is neutering," they said in a press release.
Comments