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Wild Dog Invasion in Atacama, Chile: Tourist Destination Under Threat

A tourist destination in Chile, South America, famous for its desert tours, has been taken over by wild dogs.

In particular, as incidents of wild dogs attacking people and tourists and residents being bitten and killed or injured occurred one after another, local governments began to promote the eradication of wild dogs.

According to the Chilean daily Latercera and Latin American media Infoba on the 11th (local time), in San Pedro de Atacama (Atacama), Antopaganista Province, northern Chile, ownerless wild dogs have recently been roaming around in droves and threatening people. there is.

In October last year, a 27-year-old tourist went missing and was found dead. An autopsy revealed that he died of severe bleeding after being bitten by a dog.

This month, a Brazilian tourist was said to have run away after being attacked by a pack of dogs, but barely escaped the crisis with the help of a passing car driver. The tourist suffered serious injuries and was treated at hospital.
In addition, Atacama authorities confirmed that a 3-year-old child was bitten so badly by a dog that part of his ear was amputated.

Chilean daily La Tercera reported that residents are also expressing fear as this place, well-known to Korean tourists through Atacama Desert tours, has become a ‘heaven for wild dogs.’

The local government estimated that the number of dogs left on the roadside without owners is currently around 4,500.

Atacama Mayor Justo Suleta is pushing for the eradication of wild dogs to solve the problem.

“Street dogs are carriers of rabies and have become a serious threat to residents and tourists,” he said. “If it is confirmed that they are unaccompanied dogs, there is a need to eliminate the potential risk.”

However, it is said that there is also controversy surrounding animal welfare in the local area.

Issues include what to do with dogs that have owners but are effectively neglected, what is the basis for determining that a particular dog is potentially dangerous, and whether it is reasonable to actually allow slaughter to control the animal population.

Local media reported that some have pointed out that this violates the current law, which states that ‘in the case of abandoned dogs, they must be rescued and handed over to non-profit organizations so that they can be protected by the person or organization with responsible ownership in the future.’

#place #wild #dog #paradise #dogs #Tourist #bitten #death
2024-01-11 22:08:36

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