For decades, the system of eradication of stray dogs in Belize has been through the use of one of the most aggressive forms of poisons, called strychnine. This poison is a white powder which is odorless. Strychnine causes extreme pain to its victim, causing the animal’s muscles to go into spasms, leading to death.
This poison is fatal not only swallowed; even a simple exposure can lead to poisoning, as it can be inhaled.
Wayne Usher, Councilor for Public Health, told us that while the Belize City Council does give orders to carry out the eradication process, he is against the use of that specific poison due to its inhumane effects on its victim.
About three times per year, stray dogs are killed using this poison, and the council spends about $7,500 on the entire process. Usher says that while he is against the use of it, he would be breaking the law if he were to use another form of poison because of the Public Health law which specifies the use of strychnine to kill stray dogs.
While most would agree that their encounters with what Usher refers to as a “nuisance”, the stray dog, is not all the time a bad encounter. There are reports by others who claim that some are rabid, aggressive and downright mischievous; meaning the barking and their destruction of public garbage.
However, is that reason enough to cause them extreme pain at the end of their already pathetic and sorrowful existence?
Usher told us that he is sickened by the thought of these animals enduring such discomfort, and that as an elected councilor he is working on a plan to make amendments to the law governing the use of this specific poison.
He also explained that he would like to get other NGOs on board, for example, the Humane Society and the Ministry of Agriculture, who could implement, or better facilitate, the outlet of spaying and neutering.
In Belize the cost of spaying and neutering animals is actually very inexpensive e.g. for dogs weighing between 50-100 lbs the cost is around $112, and for females it is around $202, and above100 lbs, for males is around $135, and females $225.
The last poisoning of stray dogs in Belize City was conducted on Monday, July 25, and Tuesday 26. On those two days, a total of 273 stray dogs were killed.
On La Isla Bonita, however, stray dogs need not worry, because the Saga Humane Society receives international funding, but is run primarily by locals. On their website, they specifically touch on the topic of strychnine’s usage in the city, admitting that that was the issue at the core of their formation.
The Saga website states, “The Saga Humane Society was founded in March of 1999, mainly in response to the animal control measures used in Belize: strychnine-laced bait tossed onto the streets at night for any animal unlucky enough to be wandering around and hungry”.
The Saga Society has even taken a proactive step in containing the dog population through spaying and neutering dogs at a very affordable cost and offering a more humane way of euthanizing dogs, as well.
While most may view these stray dogs as pests and nuisances, it is fair to say that they still fall under “man’s best friend,” and deserve a level of protection.
On “The Telegraph” website we note that in Greece, the government has begun discussing measures in implementing protective laws for animals. The website states, “The Greek government has expressed a desire to give more protection to animals and introduced tougher laws last year. Antonia Kanellopoulou, the deputy mayor of Athens, said: “Stray animals need our love.”
A few Belizeans have also taken to beating the dog for its own instinctive nature, which is to get food.
A woman said that she saw a man who had just arrived at the park put his food on the seawall, turning for a second to retrieve an item from his car, only to return to find a stray dog eating his food.
She explained that she had to shout at the man to stop, because he had begun beating the dog with a baseball bat, after which he apologized, realizing that the mishap was for him to have left his food unattended.
Usher told us that he is also looking into other means of humanely killing stray dogs by use of other means other than strychnine.