In a determined effort to ensure safer neighbourhoods a committee has been formed to address the stray dogs’ problem in the country.

The committee, comprised of representatives from municipal councils around the country, are working on this matter with the Ministry of Agriculture.

They plan to eliminate the menace of stray dogs roaming wildly in our towns and cities and attacking people.

Nadi Town Council’s special administrator Robin Ali confirmed this while commenting on an incident at Narewa in Nadi where stray dogs attacked and bit two-year-old Amari Whippy on Friday. Young Amari is now recovering at the Lautoka Hospital.

After Amari’s story was published in the Fiji Sun on Saturday, other concerned Fijians called the newspaper and shared their stories of attacks and fear of stray dogs.

A team of health inspectors from the Nadi council will visit Narewa today to find out if the dogs had an owner or were stray dogs.

In the meantime, Mr Ali said the council was carrying out a dog trapping programme in Nadi.

“The problem of stray dogs is not only confined to Nadi, but it’s actually a nationwide problem,” he said.

“Our health inspectors are in the committee, which has been formed to address the stray dog problem and they have been having meetings with the Agriculture Ministry.

“We are doing our best to address the problem in Nadi. Like other municipal councils, we are working with the respective Government ministries in trying to address the stray dog problem.

“The committee, which has been formed, is trying to have a Memorandum of Understanding to see which way to go to address the problem.”

The Minister for Agriculture, Mahendra Reddy, could not be reached yesterday for comment.

Edited by Percy Kean

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