Sangkhlaburi, in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand, is beautiful in many ways because of its idyllic setting, nestled in the lush green banks of the Sangkhla River. It is a well-known tourist destination, boasting the longest wooden bridge in Thailand.
However, many tourists and local residents say they don’t feel safe walking in the town.
Several people, including children have been attacked by stray dogs, which roam the streets in packs.
“Dogs can deliver both bad and good things to people. If a dog becomes a stray dog, it’s very dangerous to people and other animals,” Daw Phiphar, who has had three dogs in her home for 15 years, said in a recent interview with IMNA News.
According to 75 year-old Nai Kyaw Shwe, who walks in town every day, these stray dogs also bite vendors and school children, as well as bite visitors and local residents as they walk.
“I am afraid to walk on the street in the morning. Some tourists used to walk on the street in the morning. But, now they are afraid to. Parents are worrying for their children, who go to school every day, because stray dogs bite children,” Nai Kyaw Shwe said.
“Five stray dogs bit my brother and me on the street between Wat Si Monastery and the Burma Inn when we came back from our school in the evening. We missed class for 15 days. We had to go to the clinic for medical treatment. Our parents had to spend 15,000 baht for our medical treatment,” a student, who lives in Sangkhlaburi said.
Mi Lon and her16 year-old daughter were bitten by stray dogs as they were selling vegetables.
“Two stray dogs bit us. I got three teeth punctures and my daughter also got six. There are many stray dogs on the street,” Mi Lon explained.
According to Mi Lon, she had to spend 20,000 baht for medical treatment. So, she is in debt.
“Three stray dogs bit my wife and me when we were going to the bridge for fresh air,” an American visitor said.
According to a medic at the Sangkhlaburi hospital, an average of five people comes to the hospital for medical treatment in a month because of bites from stray dogs.
According to the medic, there may be many other people who were bitten and couldn’t come to the hospital.
However, there is one person who is not afraid the stray dogs and even feeds them. Her name is Gemma, a British woman, from Bann Unrak Animal Sanctuary, a local non-profit organization. She is actually working hard to control the number of dogs
“Seventy-five percent of the dogs in Sangkhlaburi town and in nearby villages are stray dogs. These strays are living on the street, near the market area and monasteries,” she said in an interview.
Currently, many people in Sangkhlaburi kill the stray dogs, often by poisoning, to solve the problem. According to Gemma, she is very shocked when people kill the animals.
She says steps should be taken to manage the number of strays.
“First, we have to take a record of number the stray dogs. Then, we manage their numbers by limiting their reproduction. However, we need to feed them and give them medical treatment when they are sick. Now we have over 100 dogs,” Gemma said.
“A veterinarian does an operation to prevent reproduction. We should not use poison to kill dogs. Killing dogs is not the right way,” she added.
“Using these methods, we don’t need to kill dogs. With love, kindness and sympathy, dogs can live long but cannot reproduce again.”
She notes a person who kills a dog will be sentenced to 2 years in prison in England and other democratic countries which respect animal rights. If a person even kicks a dog, that person will be punished.
Currently, her work of controlling the number of stray dogs is successful. According to sellers and vendors, there are no stray dogs around the markets in Sangkhlaburi.
Likewise, she is working to deal with stray dogs in Japan Yay Twin Village (Japanese Water Well Village) in Three Pagoda Pass Township, as well as the villages of Chanlut and Kwemalai, in Sangkhlaburi Township. According to a villager from Chanlut, the number of stray dogs is getting lower in these villages.
Bann Unrak Animal Sanctuary and other NGOs are educating people in Sangkhlaburi area to avoid the danger posed by stray dogs.
“There are no stray dogs on the street in Sweden,” Nai Oun Mon, from the Mon Human Rights Foundation, who visited Sweden, explained.
The residents of Sangkhlaburi hope this will be the case in their lovely little town soon, as well.
