Communiqu on Stray Dogs - Ministry of Environment, Sustainable

Communiqué on Stray Dogs
We want a safer, cleaner and greener Mauritius and stray dogs represent a threat to the
Mauritian public and to foreign visitors. Several authorities have received complaints on
the presence of stray dogs. 42 public beaches where the problem of stray dogs is prominent
have been identified across the island.
Stray dogs pose serious health risks. They can bite people and at times, they can become
very aggressive and can kill people. They can also become a cause of noise pollution. The
tourism industry can suffer considerably if Mauritius is presented in overseas media as a
country with the presence of stray dogs on public beaches.
The Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development, Disaster and Beach Management
has decided to implement a programme tominimize / eliminatethe nuisances caused by
stray dogs on public beaches. The objective of the programme is to make our beaches
conform to international norms and standards of comfort and to offer stress-free and
nuisance-free environment.
In this context, by the Mauritius Society for Animal Welfare (MSAW), the official
governmental agency which caters for stray dogs and animal welfare, responsible for
dealing with the problem of stray dogs will capture stray dogs on public beaches.The public
will be invited by Communiqués to adopt the captured dogs. NGOs working for animal
welfare are invited to give the necessary treatment to the captured dogs and also to offer
them for adoption.
The general public is, therefore, advised to keep their dogs safely at home instead of letting
them stray outside to avoid their capture.
Two cases of people killed on the road because of stray dogs are quoted below as reported
by the media:
1. «Joseph Clency Potiron, un habitant de La Tour-Koenig, âgé de 47 ans, a trouvé la mort
lors d’un accident qui s’est produit vers 6h, hier matin, sur la route côtière de Pointe-auxSables juste en face d’un centre d’appels.L’homme, éboueur de son état, n’a pu éviter un
chien errant qui a subitement traversé la route juste devant lui. Il a été durement projeté
sur l’asphalte et est mort sur le coup. Son corps a été transporté à la morgue de l’hôpital
Jeetoo à Port-Louis aux fins d’autopsie.» (http://24heuresinfo.com/2015/01/09/a-pointeaux-sables-un-eboueur-tue-par-la-faute-dun-chien-errant/)
2. «Cela s’est passé ce jeudi 1er novembre à Floréal. Un chien errant a provoqué un grave
accident de la route.Un couple, qui circulait à moto, a été grièvement blessé lors de
l’accident. Le motocycliste, âgé de 60 ans, a heurté un parapet alors qu’il tentait d’éviter
l’animal. Il s’est retrouvé dans un caniveau alors que son épouse a été violemment
projetée sur l’asphalte. Ils ont été conduits à l’hôpital.»
(http://www.defimedia.info/live-news/item/21263-un-chien-errant-provoque-un-graveaccident-%C3%A0-flor%C3%A9al.html)