Manila: A mayor in central Philippines stopped the killing of stray dogs after his office received text messages that condemned the cruel treatment of animals, a TV report said.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia of Bacolod City stopped the city's veterinary office from putting stray dogs to sleep.
He also called for the verification of the text messages that were sent to his office, GMA 7 said, quoting reports in the Visayan Daily Star.
At the same time, the mayor also reportedly asked Bacolod City's Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan to research for more humane methods of putting to sleep stray dogs that were captured by the local government office.
Media reports said that text messages were sent to the mayor's office saying that Bacolod City had captured a mother dog with puppies, among eight stray dogs that were being kept at the city pound.
The text messages reportedly alleged that the animals had not been given food or water for three days. The city's veterinary office usually killed the animals using gas or by bludgeoning them.
Response
In response to the text messages, Rey Demisana, administrative officer of Bacolod City's veterinary office, was quoted in the media as saying that only five dogs were being kept at the city pound, and they were being fed and bathed regularly.
Media reports said that the dog with puppies was adopted on Monday, and that a Bacolod City employee said that stray dogs were put to sleep 10 days, not three days, after their capture.
The city employee was quoted in the media as saying that pet lovers were encouraged to adopt impounded stray dogs. They were also advised to immunise the dogs and to pay the village office for their dog's board and lodging, the officer was quoted as saying.
Acting City Veterinarian Rex Juplo reportedly said that Bacolod's city ordinance did not allow the use of gas chamber to kill stray dogs. Chemicals or lethal injection used for euthanasia cost about P700 to P800 (Dh58.3 to Dh66.66) per dog, he added.
Juplo was quoted by the media as saying that Bacolod City had put to death by lethal injection a total of 34,000 stray dogs captured from 61 villages, in 2009.
