Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang has suspended City Hall's roundup of stray dogs pending talks with animal lovers' organisations worried about the way the captured animals are being cared for.
The governor said on Wednesday that district officials had earlier been ordered to catch and remove stray dogs after residents complained of the danger of being attacked in the street by vicious or rabies-infected animals.
There were about 150,000 stray dogs living on the capital's streets, he said.
Animal lovers' organisations had asked City Hall to explain how it was caring for the caught dogs at its facility in Prawet district before sending them to a dog-holding centre in Thap Than district of Uthai Thani province, Pol Gen Aswin said.
Representatives went to meet the governor on Wednesday. Afterwards, the governor said the stray-dog roundup would be halted for now, except for vicious dogs or others suspected of being infected with rabies.
The campaign would resume in 100 days, after a joint committee finalises dog-handling procedures that satisfy animal lovers' demands, Pol Gen Aswin said.
