Photo shows several dogs roaming around Taman Hijau in Kapit.
KAPIT: The number of dogs that roam freely around here seems to have increased, judging on their presence at public areas such as coffee shops and residential estates.
It cannot be verified whether these animals are strays or being let loose by their owners, but the sight of them has raised concern among the local towns folk not only because of the present rabies situation in Sarawak, but also because the dogs, at times, are posing hazards to motorists here.
An observation by The Borneo Post here yesterday showed that there were dogs roaming around areas at the Chung Hua Kindergarten near the Kapit Bazaar Baru Roundabout, the Bletih Township and Bletih Industrial Estate, the closed-down sports ground at Jalan Padang Sukan, and also the residential estates of Taman Hijau and Taman Airport.
“These dogs pose potential danger to road users, because some of them can get very aggressive – there have been times when they suddenly charge at pedestrians and motorcyclists.
“If they were only barking, it’s fine, but sometimes one or two dogs would chase after people,” said a local resident, who requested anonymity.
It was reported that just a few days ago, a four-year-old boy who was with his parents jogging by a roadside here, was attacked by a stray dog. The boy suffered multiple injuries on his face and was rushed to Sibu Hospital.
A concerned resident of Taman Siew Gin at Jalan Bletih here remarked: “We, the public, have appealed to the relevant agencies to take stern action in addressing the stray dog issue in town, for the sake of public safety. Preventive action is better than cure.”
Kapit District Council had conducted several operations to tackle the situation and for a while, the stray dog population seemed to be kept in check.
However, it appears that the sight of dogs roaming around public areas in town has become more and more frequent, which local residents regard as ‘a worrisome situation’.