At least seven dogs were reportedly found dead around Mandalika Circuit in Central Lombok, with local residents suspecting that they were poisoned ahead of Indonesia’s first motorcycling grand prix since 1997.
According to reports from local media outlets, including Tempo and Kompas, local residents claimed they had been approached by people who asked them to “capture the dogs by poisoning them” so that the canines don’t pose disruptions to the race at Mandalika. Some also claimed to have been offered IDR100,000 (US$7) to poison the dogs.
A couple of residents claimed they rejected the offer, but the dogs unfortunately met their untimely demise anyhow a few days prior to the World Superbike Championship (WSBK), which concluded on Sunday.
“The dogs were given eggs that had been poisoned, and we found their carcasses the next day,” Seneng, a local resident from Ebunut village that is located in the areas surrounding Mandalika Circuit, said.
The local Department of Agriculture, as well as state-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), who organized the race, said they had nothing to do with the incident. However, they did admit that the matter of keeping animals out of the circuit complex was discussed in meetings leading up to the major event.
“We did have a meeting about the dogs. But the trouble is that we didn’t have any sedatives, nothing,” Chief of the Agriculture Department in Central Lombok, Lalu Iskandar, told Tempo.
