PHOTOS: Iraqi authorities in Diyala use poisoned meat to exterminate 400 stray dogs
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Local authorities in one of the disputed areas in the province of Diyala are using a controversial method to address the issue of stray dogs in the region by feeding them poisoned meat.
The administration of the Qurtaba area in coordination with the veterinary hospital carried out a massive campaign on Wednesday to eliminate the phenomenon of loose dogs by giving them chicken meat which had been poisoned on purpose.
Stray animals are a problem for many areas of Iraq, especially dogs which often pose a danger to civilians, particularly children.
The director of Qurtaba, Wasfi al-Tamimi, told Al-Sumeriya News that around 400 dogs were fed the poisoned meat during the campaign which lasted a few hours.
According to Tamimi, the chickens were collected through donations by people living in the disputed area between the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil and the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
This method of killing wild animals has often raised the concern of animal rights organizations which consider the campaign a “primitive” way of addressing the issue.