Dogs face the bullet in Uganda

About 5,000 dogs have rabies in Iganga

By Abraham Odeke in Jinja, Uganda

The authorities in Iganga district in eastern Uganda have started shooting all dogs that are not chained or locked up by their owners in villages and the towns.

One dog, one bullet

District order

The measure comes as a response to the increasing number of people dying after being bitten by rabid dogs.

Thirty-seven people have died from rabies and another 370 are undergoing treatment since June this year according to concerned district medical and veterinary officers.

The latest victim, a young boy, is reported to have died last Sunday after being bitten on the thighs and hands by two rabid dogs that pounced on him.

Rabid dogs

Officials said the district faced an acute shortage of rabies vaccines.

Veterinary officials say there are about 20,000 poorly kept dogs found in the district.

They estimate that about 5,000 of these dogs are rabid and need shooting.

Earlier attempts to kill the dogs by dropping poisoned foods at strategic points in villages did not yield the desired results.

Live bullets

So now, all relevant departmental heads in the district have agreed to the use of live bullets in eliminating the problematic dogs.

Chief district official Nelson Kirenda has instructed all the chiefs in the district to ensure the success of the exercise.

Mr Wilson Mugude, in-charge of the Game and Vermin Control department told me the exercise has kicked off well with the shooting dead of 93 dogs in the last three days.

He said that in order to minimise the wasting of bullets the people hunting down the dogs have been told to apply the principle of "one dog, one bullet".