GIZO Town Council (GTC) of Western province has warned that it will resort to stray dog culling if the national government through the ‘Pest Control Board’ under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) fail to offer a solution to address the high stray dog population in the Western Provincial Capital.
The warning was issued after the latest stray dog attack on a six-year-old girl in Gizo on Tuesday.
A mentally-ill person died from serious wounds incurred from an attack by stray dogs in 2023 and there were other stray dog attack incidents in the past months.
Gizo Town Council (GTC) Clerk Charles Kelly on Wednesday warned that if the responsible authorities cannot assist the Gizo Dog Working Committee to address the stray dog problem, GTC will find an alternative solution on its own.
He expressed frustration over the lack of action by MAL and the ‘Pest Control Board’ since 2023 when the Dog Working Committee was established.
Mr Kelly said despite repeated appeals for assistance, no concrete steps were taken by these responsible authorities to address the problem.
“The situation has dragged on for a year now. We were promised assistance, but nothing was done,” he said.
The then Permanent Secretary (PS) of MAL Loti Vaisekavea, did not allow the use of the dog bait method, which the Gizo Dog Committee agreed on. PS MAL chairs the ‘Pest Control Board.’
“If they cannot assist us, we will have to take matters into our own hands,” Mr Kelly warned.
“This could mean a mass killing of the stray dogs using our own methods. The situation is getting out of hand and if nothing is done soon, lives will remain at risk.”
Mr Kelly further explained that since the Dog Working Committee was established in partnership with the Honiara-based veterinarian Dr Joyce Anita, they agreed to implement the dog bait method.
This method, while considered to be more ethical and less expensive, was met with resistance by the Pest Control Board, creating a complex situation for GTC.
However, Mr Kelly said the new MAL PS Dr Viulu, recently advised him in an email that if the ‘Pest Control Board’ cannot do anything about this issue, the Gizo Dog Committee can apply any method they want to.
“At first, I was on the track to do it in a legal way but it seems nothing worked out, so we will do it in our own way.
“This means we will carry out a mass execution of the stray dogs roaming the streets in Gizo. This could be our last resort,” Mr Kelly added.
By ULUTAH GINA
Solomon Star, Gizo
