As many as 21 stray dogs were shot dead on Saturday morning in Batubulan, Gianyar.
The dog cull was a joint elimination operation by the Bali provincial and Gianyar regency animal husbandry departments and local village officials.
Like most dog culling in Bali, this elimination was done in fear of rabies further spreading. The cull comes after a local resident was bitten by a stray dog.
“A few days ago, a resident was bitten by a dog. Once checked, it turned out that the dog was infected with the rabies virus,” head of Gianyar Regency’s Animal Husbandry Department Ida Bagus Sudewa told Tribun Bali.
After dogs were shot one by one, they were buried en masse and a small Balinese ceremony was held.
Sudewa confirmed that around 21 dogs were killed.
The number was so high because the area had become a dumping ground for dogs, so the area was overrun by strays roaming around, Sudewa explained.
Dog culling unfortunately is nothing new to Bali, but for awhile it had seemed like authorities might be getting the idea that the more humane and effective way of battling rabies would be mass sterilization and vaccination.
