The government-appointed Municipal Affairs Consultative Council held its monthly meeting at the headquarters of the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) in the city centre yesterday, where councillors expressed concern about attacks by stray dogs.
Councillor Yeong Chan Iat pointed out that multiple residents have recently reported that stray dogs have become an increasingly serious problem in the Taipa Old Village area, Lai Chi Vun Shipyards, Hac Sá Beach Park, and Ká-Hó. They are often seen roaming in packs during the early morning and from dusk into the night, posing a safety threat to residents and tourists alike, Yeong said, adding that an incident in which a stray dog bit a passer-by recently occurred in the Taipa Old Village area. Similar dog-bite incidents have also occurred in nearby Hong Kong, drawing widespread concern, he said.
Yeong put forward four recommendations: stepping up penalties for pet abandonment to tackle the problem at its source; making good use of technological means such as drones to monitor the locations and movement patterns of stray dogs in order to devise targeted capture plans; strengthening public education campaigns, urging residents and tourists not to feed stray dogs; and paying close attention to the trend of stray dogs becoming feral, calling on the Municipal Affairs Bureau to earnestly follow up on the predicament.
Councillor Tai Ka Peng also said that even though the bureau has captured 34 stray dogs and cats in the Taipa Old Village area so far this year, the biting incident shows that the problem is not yet fully under control. She recommended strengthening patrols and trapping efforts at frequent trouble spots, deploying resources in response to the peak periods when packs of dogs appear in the early morning and at night, and making good use of the “IAM Connect” app to dynamically adjust operations based on reported data. She also suggested reviewing the dangerous dog control system in due course and formulating clear guidelines, as well as curbing improper feeding and taking legal action against those who repeatedly ignore warnings.
IAM President Chao Wai Ieng responded that, from 2025 up to the second quarter of this year, the bureau has cleared four tonnes of food scraps from 89 frequent trouble spots. He pointed out that the situation shows a high degree of overlap between the locations where stray animals appear and the areas where people improperly feed them.
In its reply to an enquiry from local broadcaster TDM early this month, a Public Security Police Force (PSP) spokesman said that, in view of the many dog-bite incidents reported, the Public Security Police Force have deployed officers to carry out patrols at the trouble spots at irregular intervals since the end of August. If any relevant situations are detected, the Municipal Affairs Bureau will be notified immediately for follow-up, the spokesman said, adding that upon receiving a report of a dog bite, the authorities will contact the injured person and search for the dog involved. Regardless of whether the dog has an owner, the case will be reported to the Municipal Affairs Bureau for follow-up, the spokesman said.
This image downloaded from the Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau’s (IAM) website last night shows its official logo.
