Chinese City Kills 5000 Dogs To Control Rabies

Chinese authorities killed almost 5,000 dogs in one city after blaming
five human deaths on rabies, the official Xinhua News Agency reported
on Sunday.

In Baoshan, south-western Yunnan province, 4,900 dogs were killed and
a further 100,000 vaccinated in the city's anti-rabies campaign,
Xinhua said. An urgent order was issued in the city calling for
authorities to tightly regulate dogs and kill any stray creatures.

Chinese governments often order such widespread dog culls or ban dog
ownership to control the spread of rabies. The moves has prompted an
outcry from some dog owners and animal rights activists who call for
sterilising and vaccinating dogs rather than culling them.

In 2009, authorities in the northern city of Hanzhong reportedly
killed about 37,000 dogs after a rabies outbreak.