CAIRO: A Lebanese city municipality has issued a statement that warns citizens of the Burj Hammoud area of Beirut not to be scared if they hear gunshots. That is the sound of stray dogs being killed, the municipality said in an announcement to the area's residents. “Burj Hammoud town municipality announces launching a campaign against stray dogs night and day,” the statement warns. “So we ask citizens not to panic when hearing gun shots and coordinate with the police officials to end this phenomena [stray dogs].” According to leading animal rights organization Animals Lebanon, the shooting of stray dogs is “nothing new” to the country. However, this time it appears different, said Jason Mier, Animals Lebanon's Executive Director. He argued that this sort of announcement to the public is “taking the killing to a different level by warning people in a densely populated area not to be worried if they hear guns being fired.” The rights group told Bikya Masr that they are contacting the municipality's officials in an attempt to get them to stop with the killing. They have also made calls to their support groups and on their Facebook page for residents and Lebanese citizens to contact the government to end the killing of animals. “This action is illegal under the Lebanese and international animal laws,” Mier said. Across the region, including in Egypt, police have often been deployed to shoot stray dogs when local residents complain. Although it is not new, rights groups such as Animals Lebanon and others have regularly condemned such actions. One problem facing the region when it comes to stray animals is the lack of appropriate shelters to host strays, which means the government can argue they have little choice in the slaughter. BM
