Who let the dogs out? Tonga's sick of strays ahead of forum leaders meeting

Stray dogs are a common sight in the Pacific.

I would know. I grew up in Fiji and there were strays everywhere, they were in every neighbourhood.

This week, the subject of stray dogs has surfaced its ugly head - this time in Tonga.

Why? As you see the island kingdom is hosting the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting next week and organisers have seen the problem of stray dogs, particularly in the capital, Nuku’alofa.

The Tongan authorities hope they will have fixed the problem come this weekend when Forum members start arriving in the country. That this will be a thing of the past.

The government said the animals are being removed from the streets ahead of the high-level meeting which starts on 26 August.

But the clean-up campaign has also prompted a wider discussion about the treatment of dogs in the kingdom.

Tonga’s Animal Welfare Society said there was legislation to look into dog management units with the police shelters.

The Society said a team from Fiji Animal Fiji was helping the Tongans with a sustainable dog management plan.

In Auckland, the city’s canine population skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now stray and aggressive dogs are getting out of hand.

Pet adoption rose during lockdowns, but a lack of vet services - coupled with unsocialised animals - has had devastating consequences.

The number of dogs in New Zealand has risen dramatically, leading to more dogs in the pound and more dog attacks, the council said.

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During Covid lockdowns, many people sought dogs as companions to keep themselves company, the council said. But after the shutdown, everybody returned to work, and some even went overseas. So, unfortunately, the dogs were left behind to fend for themselves.

In the Solomon Islands, the Gizo Town Council has warned that it would resort to stray dog culling if the national government failed to address the high stray dog population in the Western Provincial Capital.

The Pest Control Board, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, is responsible for the Solomons’ stray dog crisis.

The Gizo council’s warning came after a six-year-old girl was attacked by a stray dog on Tuesday.

In 2023, a mentally ill person died from serious wounds suffered from an attack by stray dogs, among other incidents.

Gizo council clerk Charles Kelly said if the authorities could not assist the Gizo Dog Working Committee in addressing the stray dog problem, it would find an alternative solution on its own.

He said he was frustrated over the lack of action by the ministry and the Pest Control Board since the committee was established.

Kelly said despite repeated appeals for assistance, no concrete steps were taken by the authorities to address the problem.

“The situation has dragged on for a year now. We were promised assistance, but nothing was done,” he said.

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Former agriculture secretary Loti Vaisekavea, who also chairs the Pest Control Board, rejected the dog bait method which the Gizo committee has agreed to use.

“If they cannot assist us, we will have to take matters into our own hands,” Kelly warned.

“This could mean a mass killing of the stray dogs using our methods. The situation is getting out of hand and if nothing is done soon, lives will remain at risk."

The committee set up a partnership with the Honiara-based veterinarian, Dr Joyce Anita, to implement the dog bait method.

This method, while considered to be more ethical and less expensive, was met with resistance by the Pest Control Board, creating a complex situation for GTC.

In Kiribati, the authorities there continue to grapple with an uncontrolled population of stray dogs.

Tarawa councillors were in New Zealand's Northland region earlier this month to consult Pest Control specialists on practices to reduce the stray dog population.

The number of stray dogs in Kiribati is increasing, they said as a trend that’s leading to more complaints of dog attacks.

The forum leaders summit will be held from 26-30 August.

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