DUBAI: In a move being praised by local animal rights advocates, the Bahrain government is looking to end the massive number of stray dogs on the country's streets, but is to do so humanely. The $795,000 birth control program hopes to eliminate stray dogs in the country within five years by spaying and neutering the animals, instead of killing them. “I think this is a great move and something that should have been thought up long ago,” activist Yara Hussein told Bikyamasr.com, adding that “the continued killing of animals was another dark spot on the continued abuse of life in this country and glad to see it ending.” The program will be spearheaded by the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) with the guidance and direction of the London-based Dogs Trust International. Prior to the launch of the “Catch, Neuter, Return” (CNR) project in September, two surveys will be carried out to confirm the areas affected by the problem and get true estimation of their numbers. “Every-where around the world there is a municipality that is specialised in animal affairs,” said BSPCA fundraising co-ordinator and project manager Joyce Hughes. “Unfortunately, this is not the case with Bahrain. There are no animal control bodies that deal with street dogs. Therefore, these dogs end up being shot at by police as a way to reduce their numbers in the urban areas and to make sure they don't spread diseases among other animals.” The CNR project will be launched with the help of the public, who will fill out specific forms during separate seven-day surveys in July and August. “At the BSPCA, we realise how huge this problem is, especially that the centre is dedicating 80 percent of our time and money to dealing with strays,” said Hughes. “We have decided to come up with a project to cut down their numbers in a humane way. “So, our team sat down with the municipalities, ministries and the Animal Wealth Directorate, who agreed to carry out the CNR campaign. The first survey period will start from July 3-10 and the second from August 1-8 in which citizens and residents are welcomed to help us in filling out forms.” In September, BSPCA teams will tour the country to vaccinate and anaesthetise the dogs before they are castrated. “We are looking for the most humane way of dealing with these animals and neutering them without killing them is the best option,” said Hughes. “Our teams will handle the dogs carefully and vaccinate them so they don't infect other animals. After castrating them, we will return them to the wild with a clipped ear to identify them from other dogs. They will be able to eat and live normally without reproducing, which will mean that we will be able to see no trace of this problem. “And since Bahrain is a small island, we can make sure that the results we will have are confirmed because of lack of dogs migrating to the country. We cannot stand by and watch these dogs being shot or hit by cars. We ask everyone to co-operate with us.”
