Pakistan Dog Culling: Dozens Of Stray Dogs Killed By City Workers, Dumped In Garbage Pile

The Pakistani city of Karachi had seen an increase in the number of stray dogs on the streets and decided to do something about it. A mass dog culling was ordered and dozens of stray dogs were killed by city workers. The dead dogs were laid in rows in the hot sun and then their bodies were dumped in a garbage pile.

According to the Daily Mail, authorities in Karachi, Pakistan, became concerned as the number of stray dogs steadily increased. Therefore, city workers were ordered to round up the strays and kill them in a mass culling across the city. The dead dogs were then lined up in rows in the streets before their bodies were thrown into trucks and dumped into a garbage pile.

In gruesome photos taken at the scene, citizens can be seen lining the streets around the dead dogs. Many were snapping photos of the carnage with their phones and cameras.

terribly horrified. what did these poor animals do to deserve this? in karachi, campaign to eliminate stray dogs -afp pic.twitter.com/dbrG2cQveJ

— Sumaira Jajja (@SumairaJajja) February 11, 2015

The city workers can be seen working alongside the road in orange vests moving the dogs’ bodies. The culling was ordered for any dogs found wandering the streets. If the dog was in the street it was promptly rounded up and killed. The culling was performed as a “safety measure” since rabies has not been eliminated and a bite from an infected animal can be deadly. Therefore, Pakistani authorities noted rabies was a concern so the dogs had to be brought back under control.

Though rabies can be deadly, the World Health Organization notes that “more than 3 billion people, about half the world’s population, are living in countries/territories where dog rabies still exists and are potentially exposed to rabies.” The WHO says that approximately “55,000 human rabies deaths occur yearly in Africa and Asia following contact with rabid dogs.” Though these numbers are high and rabies is a real concern in areas such as Pakistan, the WHO says they do not recommend culling as a method to combat the deadly disease.

“Dog destruction alone is not effective in rabies control. There is no evidence that removal of dogs alone has ever had a significant impact on dog population densities or the spread of rabies. In addition, dog removal may be unacceptable to local communities.”

Instead of killing the dogs, the WHO suggests a mass vaccination program.

“Mass canine vaccination campaigns have been the most effective measure for controlling canine rabies. High vaccination coverage (70 percent or higher) can be attained through comprehensive strategies consisting among others of well-designed educational campaigns, intersectoral cooperation, community participation, local commitment in planning and execution.”

[Image Credit: Marketa Jirouskova/Getty Images]