Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says it has been forced to put on hold its operation to rid the city of stray dogs.
The local authority has over the years implemented the dog tie up order to control the number of stray dogs and reduce the spread of rabies.
However, this the operation has largely been hampered by the Covid-19 lockdown, city council officials said.
The City’s bylaws prohibit dog owners from allowing their dogs to roam outside their premises without restraints.
According to the latest Council minutes, Ward 12 councillor Lilian Mlilo raised concerns on the increase in the number of stray dogs in the city and sought clarification on why the stray dogs were not being shot.
Assistant Director of Health Services, Dr Khulamuzi Nyathi noted that the programme which was meant to kick start earlier this year has been affected by the global pandemic.
“On stray dogs, he mentioned that Council already had a programme (tie up order) on the shooting of stray dogs. The programme could not take place at the end of 2019 because of the festive season,” read the report.
“This programme involved the ZRP and it was not safe to carry guns during the festive season. This was supposed to have been carried out early this year, but could not take place because of Covid-19. The programme will be resumed once the situation is back to normal.”
According to the report six stray dogs have since been impounded and sent to the SCPA.
“Eleven dog notices had been issued for dog licensing and control bylaws violation and eight were complied with,” read the report.
“The other three were outstanding and the department was following up on them. Six dogs were impounded and sent to SPCA,” read the report.
