AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy, mauled by a pack of stray dogs, told of the attack in an exclusive interview yesterday and demanded that strays be cleared off the streets.

- Brunei Times, 30th August, 2006

Will the Government policy makers succumb to the wishes of this little boy? It seems quite draconian should we kill off these strays one by one. Perhaps even cruel.

These dogs are helpless and homeless, they are strays, loved by no one, hated by the society. In other countries, they will populate animal shelters but in Brunei, none are to be found. Setting up an animal shelter, which will definitely be filled with stray dogs, goes, first and foremost, against the principles of Islam for it is haram.

A second reason why there are no animal shelter is that, there is no one, no high up bureaucratic figure, no specific member of the royal family will be impressed by it. As far as the Government is concerned, it is a waste of money with no benefits.

LSM, in his post today, driven by the dog attacks, had said,

The current inaction after the attack betrays the truth: we lack any credible solution and all we can do is “monitor the situation”. Now more than ever we need a candidate to act as a buffer, something that will help stay the problem even momentarilly and thereby act as a hinderance to those who would call for a quick fix, cruel or otherwise. The boy’s attack has not gone unnoticed by the public whose insistence leaves no room for misinterpretation: something needs to be done immediately for the safety of our children. This demand for urgency and expedience may influence those in charge to disregard their humanity in search for a solution. The public wants a solution now but should we once again offer a cruel one? Wouldn’t the safety of our own children warrant that any means be employed?

His fears are not unfounded. In a society where dogs are seen as taboo objects, confused parents all over the country are willing to risk ethical treatment of animals to the safety of their children.