The authorities in Lakes State’s Awerial County are set to eliminate stray dogs on the streets of Mingkaman town this week.
The police authorities started an awareness campaign both on the streets and on radio in Mingkaman on Tuesday.
Awerial County Town Clerk Abraham Deng Cuei told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that the authorities had hired a sharpshooter, Marial Jok, to eliminate all the stray dogs.
“A sharpshooter, Marial Jok, has been hired to begin the elimination on Tuesday this week,” he said
Cuei said the shooter would use live bullets to kill the roaming dogs.
“This worries the residents of Mingkaman town but the Town Clerk assures them not to panic,” he said.
Deng told the residents to confine their dogs during the exercise to avoid being killed.
“The dogs will be killed in the market here. If you hear gunshot sounds, do not panic, the person who will kill them is skilled in that work. We are also informing those keeping dogs at home to tie them up or brand them with cola for easy identification,” he said.
For the last 10 years, the Mingkaman town residents have been calling for the elimination of stray dogs.
Mary Achol cautioned the authorities not harm children and people in the residential areas during the exercise.
She said killing the stray dogs could be disastrous if a shooter misses the target.
John Kuol, an IDP, urged the authorities not to fire shots in crowded places.
He said the exercise could harm particularly the children and the elderly.