Stray dog cull in Addis Ababa

13 Mar, 2013

Authorities in Addis Ababa have announced that they have killed just under 10,000 stray dogs as part of a mass culling operation.

The estimated number of stray dogs in the capital is about 200,000, and the city is said to be keen to "clean up" its image for foreign visitors.

The city's campaign to rid the streets of stray dogs involves feeding poisoned meat to the animals, a method described by animal rights' activists as ensuring a slow and painful death.

Local residents have complained that many dead dogs are not collected but left to rot on the streets, posing a health risk for humans, birds and other animals, as well as generating a "suffocating odour".

The Addis Ababa Agricultural Bureau has reportedly appealed to the city administration for additional funds to increase its culling exercise.