SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — An estimated 150,000 stray dogs are currently roaming the streets of Tijuana, and city officials are asking the public to consider spaying or neutering their pets as a way to lower the stray population in the city.
“This is a way to protect or beloved pets too, we are trying to minimize their health risks as well,” said Edith Viridiana Flores, head of city’s Sanitation Control Department.
Stray animals have been known to carry rabies and insects that pass on viruses such as rickettsia, which has led to the deaths of 31 residents in the state of Baja California — 20 of those fatalities have occurred in Tijuana.
According to Flores, the city is planning to conduct a survey to determine the exact number of stray dogs in the city as a way to figure out how to protect the canines.
The city of Tijuana has one primary animal control facility with minimal capacity to accommodate most of the animals on the street.
It does support privately run shelters across the city, but those facilities have reported the city has heavily diminished its funding in recent years.
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