Stray dogs in Bangkok
Encyclopedia
It is estimated that there are over 120,000 stray dogs in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. The management of these so-called soi
Soi
Soi is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street . An alley is called a Trok .Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by the name of the major street and the number, as in "Soi Sukhumvit 4", "Sukhumvit Soi 4", or "Sukhumvit 4", all referring to the fourth soi...

dogs has become a serious problem in the capital.

Status

Most of the 300,000 stray dogs in Bangkok are not aggressive, and many have been injured in traffic. However, strays occasionally attack people, and few have been vaccinated against canine diseases.

Management

In the 1990s, more than 200 dogs were euthanized each day. In 1998, however, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...

 campaigned against the practice, which they argued violated Buddhist principles. The campaign generated substantial public outcry against the euthanization of dogs, and the city adopted a pro-life dog policy.

A recent regulation has forbidden the feeding of stray dogs in public places.

In September 2007, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration began a program of mandatory registration for dogs; the program was aimed to deter the abandonment of dogs, which could be traced to their owners. Requirements for such registration include the implantation of a microchip
Microchip implant (animal)
A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, horse, parrot or other animal. The chips are about the size of a large grain of rice and are based on a passive RFID technology....

 identifying the owner, rabies vaccination for dogs less than one year old, and sterilization; dog owners were required to register their pets before July 2008. Starting on July 4, 2008, dogs found unregistered may be sent to a dog kennel in the northern province of Uthai Thani
Uthai Thani
Uthai Thani is a town in Thailand, capital of the Uthai Thani province, in the Lower North of the country. It covers the whole tambon Uthai Mai of Mueang Uthai Thani district. The town is situated on the right bank of the Sakae Krang River, a few kilometers upstream from where it flows into the...

 and their owners may be fined up to 5,000 baht. Critics of mandatory registration have asserted that it has actually increased the number of strays, as dog owners who do not wish to pay for implementation are abandoning their pets rather than risking receiving fines.

Before prominent events, stray dogs have been rounded up and sent to shelters. This occurred before the 2003 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...

, when thousands of dogs were removed from the city and sent to the Livestock Development Department's animal quarantine stations in Phetchaburi and Sa Kaeo provinces. Stray dogs were again transported from the city in preparation for the king's 2006 anniversary celebration, with efforts focusing on areas near expensive hotels where royal guests stayed. These strays were sent to the kennel in Uthai Thani, where it was planned they would stay until their death.

In culture

The 2006 Thai movie Kao Niew Moo Ping by Siwaporn Pongsuwan focused on the relationship between a runaway girl and the stray dog she befriends.
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