Baghdad takes aim at stray dogs

[July 10, 2010]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Baghdad officials say 58,000 stray dogs have been killed in and around the Iraqi capital over the past three months as part of a campaign to combat dog attacks.

A statement Saturday from the Baghdad provincial government said 20 teams, made up of police shooters and veterinarians, had been moving around the capital every day looking for the strays.

The statement said the teams either poisoned or shot the dogs.

Officials announced the campaign in 2008, citing a rise in fatal attacks on humans by the packs of dogs roaming the city.

Under Saddam Hussein's regime, stray dogs were routinely shot. But their numbers grew steadily following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion when a host of more serious security issues sidelined efforts to deal with the dogs.

[Associated Press]

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