In a possible over-reaction to an outbreak of distemper, while fully aware that new animal welfare laws start this September, a Council has overseen the slaughter of 50 dogs which those that care for animals say was unnecessary.
Dozens of people gathered in Praça da República, in the center of Braga, to express their disgust at the way the local Council managed an outbreak of distemper at the Official Collection Centre for dogs.
Nearly all the animals were slaughtered, with local volunteers and animal lovers saying that not all the dogs were sick and that many others could have recovered had they received the proper care.
But the municipal kennel housed 60 dogs where there is only space for 30 and, with the new animal welfare law's September deadline looming, what better way to clear the decks for a new intake which, legally, will be far harder to dispose of.
Several groups, including the Left Bloc, have spoken about the Braga case and are keeping an eye out for further instances where a disease leads to wholesale euthanasia before the new law's September start date.
"The slaughtering of the animals is related to distemper due to overcrowding and the lack of sanitary conditions in the kennel. The kennel has capacity for 30 dogs and at the moment there are close to 60, there being no quarantine when an animal arrives at the kennel to ward off disease and thus prevent disease spreading,” read a Left Bloc statement, adding that,
“Another complaint that has come to us is the lack of a full-time veterinarian and much of the work is done by volunteers and associations, thus demonstrating that it is necessary for the municipality to increase the budget for the kennel."
AGERE, the municipal company that manages the kennel, confirmed around 50 animals had been put to death due to the distemper outbreak.
The municipal company is disinfecting and cleaning the kennel while adopting bio-safety measures, under advice from a specialist company, to ensure that the next animals brought in are not exposed to the virus.
At the same time, the company decided to concrete over the dogs’ walking area so that cleaning and disinfection is easier in the future.
