In the Rwandan culture, dogs are not exactly known to be man’s best friend. Apart from their utility as the occasional security guards to homesteads and their medieval role in hunting activities, their perception as an ideal pet and faithful companion is something that has never really been present in the Rwandese culture and society.
As a matter of fact, taming dogs in this country is considerably weak, a reality that is evidently displayed with the number of stray dogs roaming the streets. While this is a problem that insidiously manifests itself only when someone gets hurt, another more serious problem lies in the wake by the manner in which we handle the issue.
On Monday this week, 100 Stray Dogs were killed in Musanze by veterinary officials after 3 people were reported to have been bitten by stray dogs. According to the Musanze District Veterinary Officer, Dr. Jean Bosco Nsengiyumva, the move was aimed at preventing dog attacks on the people and the spread of rabies.
I hold the visceral conviction that the occurrence of this incident only shows us that despite the fact that Rwanda has made some commendable advancements in many other areas, it is still very far behind when it comes to the adoption, implementation and less consideration of animal rights.
I am in no way advocating the fact that animals need to be given consideration similar to those of human beings, though I wouldn’t be bothered by the idea, but the depravity and ruthlessness used in handling this animal issue should serve as an indicator that better means need to be developed in handling these cases .
It is true rabies is a rare but dangerous and often irremediable disease and the safety of the population lies above everything else. Nevertheless there is something that remains wrong in the execution of all those roaming dogs.
Rabies can only be transmitted from the bite of a dog that is infected with the Virus. Quoting from the veterinary officials, in those 100 stray dogs that were killed not one rabid dog was reported to be among.
Assuming that some infected dogs were among the pack what justifies the death of the other non-infected dogs? A rabid dog or locally known as “ Imbwa yasaze “ is very much and easily distinguishable from the more ubiquitous stray dog or “umusega “ whether physically or by behavior. An inspection and selection of the rabid dogs did not happen; instead stray dogs in general were rounded up.
So what went wrong? Was it because they were regarded as a potential danger or more simply because they have no home and thus no place in the society? Regrettably, that is the reason lying behind the carnage. These “homeless “dogs were considered as mere nuisance and a potential source of the much dreaded Rabies virus.
Rabies is easily preventable from both the animal and human beings , vaccines have existed for more than a century. Fortunately Dog vaccination is a campaign that has been encouraged as dogs are vaccinated free of charge.
However, there remains a serious loop hole in the act of vaccination. The serious conundrum lies in all the dogs that don’t have owners to take them for vaccination.
Despite the harshness and extreme nature of executing 100 dogs, from an analytical point of view it should be understood that this was not an act of wickedness but as a drastic measure taken due to the lack of the appropriate means of handling such a situation.
Dogs are just a small part of the problem, animals in general, stray animals to be more specific are widespread all over the country.
It is a problem that is not exclusive to Rwanda, but unlike Rwanda many countries have come up with methods of addressing this concern of stray animals and Rwanda just like it has done in many other domains should similarly emulate them.
The Rwanda animal resource development authority in its activities and operations does not cover animal care and control as a matter of fact with the exception of care given to wildlife such as the mountain gorilla or livestock such as the cow, goats and sheep, there seem to be no professional animal care centers that deal with pets.
Stray pets can be a potential danger to the society through aggression or spread of diseases, and unless we plan on continuing these mass massacres similar to the one of Musanze, we are not ensuring anything positive in the future but instead, destroying the wellbeing of these animals.
Over the years Rwanda has been a pioneer in conservation of the environment, so why not go further and conserve what makes part of that actual environment by preserving the welfare of the creatures around us.
Promotion and establishment of animal care and control services and centers is a worthwhile investment that can contribute to the development of this country.
These creatures can be collected, vaccinated , catered to and perhaps for those interested pet lovers, there would be official places for them to go and perhaps adopt these creatures that once roamed the streets.
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