FOR THE EXPAT IN ALL OF US! ISSUE 470 16th March 2018
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P A N AMA BAR
Good Times Every Night A DJ To Save Your Life
twice bitten
predictable response as rabies rears its ugly head again
•The• furore that has descended on Hua Hin and Thailand over multiple outbreaks of rabies has led to a hua hin
wide array of actions and suggestions to deal with this deadly disease. The most worrying of these has been the mass capture, transport and rumoured destruction of dogs found in the rabies ‘red zone’ where a 61 year old Thai man was bitten by a cat two months ago and died last week, sparking the current crisis. Pet owners and those who take care of street dogs are being urged to firstly makes sure these animals are vaccinated against rabies, and secondly to prevent them being loose in the street and avoid them being captured and taken away. This week a new ‘pet tax’ has been mooted, as well as a licencing and registration scheme, however these are likely to lead to more stray animals and an accompanying jump in animal populations, thus worsening the risk of the spread of rabies. Animal welfare groups have campaigned long and hard for the Thai authorities to undertake regular sterilisation programs on Soi dogs, as the growth in their population has exploded across Thailand, and has been particularly noticable in Hua Hin. However these calls have fallen on deaf ears in the past, despite the numerous advantages for both humans and dogs that would transpire. A concerted campaign to educate the population regarding the need to stop dumping unwanted animals and to take care of our animal friends is also sorely needed. Most temples are overflowing with such creatures, and while the monks do their best, they need the public to step up and take part. AWOL is not, unfortunately, optimistic that the current crisis will actually change anything in the long run; any measures that are introduced will require enforcement, something that has been shown to be largely lacking in most areas since we started publishing, unless there is significant incentive.