Patan High Court issues order against killing stray dogs

Nepal’s high court has issued an interim order against the decision made by ward chairman of Kathmandu Metropolitan Ward No. 30 to kill stray dogs.

The Patan High Court issued the interim order following initial hearings on a writ petition filed by animal right activist Sneha Shrestha against the ward chairman of KMC – 30, Dal Bahadur Karki, who decided to kill all community dogs within in his ward. Sneha Shrestha is the president of the Federation of Animal Welfare Nepal and founder of Sneha’s Care, which provides shelter for sick and injured street animals.

“It is wrong to make such an statement by Ward chairman,” Sneha said. “We are happy to hear the court decision. We ask the local authorities in Kathmandu to properly manage the stray animals instead of killing them,” she told The Nepal Weekly. “Instead of making such inhumane announcement, he should try to find some alternatives such as building dog shelters, organizing vaccination campaigns etc”,said Sneha. As per the Civil Code, killing a dog is a criminal offense and a person can be jailed for upto six months and fined Rs 5,000 to 10,000 for killing a canine, according to court sources.