Athienou is struggling to contain the rising numbers of stray dogs in the area, Mayor Kyriakos Kareklas said in an interview with the Cyprus News Agency.
The area’s dog shelter is overwhelmed, while dog owners abandon their pets outside the shelter for municipal workers to pick them up and provide for their basic needs, the Mayor stressed.
The issue is made worse by animals arriving at Athienou through the adjacent buffer zone. Local authorities have requested assistance from the UN, Kareklas said, which have managed to contain the number of stray dogs crossing through the buffer zone in the past couple of years.
Locals are afraid of stray dogs wandering the streets, the Mayor noted, as there were attacks reported on other animals, including killings of farm animals.
To address the issue, Kareklas said there are plans to create a regional dog shelter in Larnaca that would cater to all municipalities in the district, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Vet Services have also offered to microchip approximately 50 stray dogs, the Mayor added.
