THE sudden mass deaths of street animals in a village in Panacan could be due to poisoning, according to the animal welfare group Bantay Hayop Davao on October 23.
Bantay Hayop told SunStar Davao that cases of animal deaths caused by diseases are rampant recently but incidents of sudden deaths involving multiple animals may be due to mass poisoning.
Such diseases could be tick-borne or distemper said the group.
“If it's all in one place, all in one spot, tapos may mga symptoms ng poisoning such as pagsusuka, pagbubula ng bibig, usually poisoning po ang culprit,” Bantay Hayop said.
The animal welfare group said they were informed of a mass death incident of street animals in Barangay Panacan, Davao City more than a week ago and just recently, a concerned citizen informed SunStar Davao about a similar incident in Don Ramon Village, Barangay Panacan.
According to the concerned citizen, they saw lifeless bodies of dogs and cats laying on the ground in their area.
Animal poisoning, which is a form of animal cruelty, is considered a crime under Republic Act 8485 “Animal Welfare Act of 1998” as amended by Republic Act 10631.
“The poisoning is usually intentionally done by humans,” Bantay Hayop said.
Earlier this month, Bantay Hayop Davao president Rovie Bullina said Davao City has become a cruel place for street animals since there have been many reported cases of animal cruelty throughout the years, including poisoning.
Thus, Bantay Hayop Davao and Pawsitivity Project Philippines call for the creation of a city council committee that would focus on issues involving street animals, animal welfare, and responsible pet ownership.
They are also pushing for strengthened implementation of existing laws such as the Animal Welfare Act and Republic Act 9482 “Anti-Rabies Act of 2007.”
“Kulang pa gyod ang implementation dinhi sa local level, and barangay level. So we thought na makita sa atong local government unit ang need sa implementation aning mga balaod (There is a lack of implementation at the local and barangay level. So we hope the LGU can see the importance of implementing these policies),” President of Pawsitivity Project Philippines Floyd Bascones said. ICM