The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement last night that it has received reports from a number of residents since Saturday last week regarding the discovery of three dog carcasses at three locations in Coloane, adding that it has reported the case to the police for further investigation.
Since receiving the reports, the statement underlined, the bureau has been paying close attention to the incident and has sent personnel to the scenes for follow-up. After conducting autopsies on the three dog carcasses, the statement said, systemic haemorrhagic lesions were identified in all of them.
Regarding concerns raised about the potential risk of cats and dogs accidentally ingesting rodent bait, the statement stressed that the rodent bait used by IAM contains a bittering agent specifically designed for rodents, which lack a vomiting reflex.
The statement noted that for animals with a vomiting system, including cats and dogs, accidental ingestion of the rodent bait will trigger a vomiting response, making it difficult for them to swallow the rodent bait. Consequently, the statement underlined, there is an “extremely low” probability for cats and dogs to be poisoned by the IAM rodent bait due to accidental consumption.
Moreover, the statement said, the dosage of rodent bait placed by IAM personnel every time is specifically set for rodents’ small size.
The statement also said that in addition to placing locked rodent bait boxes at fixed locations on public streets across the city, IAM is also implementing area-specific rodent control measures based on the locations of identified rodent burrows, such as placing bait in relatively hidden locations to minimise the risk to non-target animals and the public.
