Mass rabies vaccinations under way on Indonesia tourist isle

A campaign to vaccinate almost 400,000 dogs against rabies began Tuesday on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, where an outbreak of the disease has killed 93 people since 2008, officials said.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is running the mass vaccination programme in conjunction with the provincial government, which has been trying to stop the outbreak by culling thousands of stray dogs.

"Rabies remains a threat to both human and animal populations and still kills 55,000 people annually," WSPA Chief Executive Officer Mike Baker said in a statement.

"Bali's multi-stakeholder approach will prove once again that the only effective solution to the rabies problem is one that combines compassion with scientific knowledge."

He said the vaccination agreement would save the lives of tens of thousands of dogs on the Hindu-majority island and "create a historic reference in the global fight against rabies".

Experts say culling is not the most effective or humane way to deal with rabies outbreaks.

Bali animal husbandry agency chief Putu Sumantra said it would take up to four months to carry out the vaccinations.

The project has been supported by the Australian government, which donated 370,000 doses of the dog rabies vaccine, WSPA said.

Bali is one of the most popular destinations for Australian tourists, who are drawn to its Hindu culture, surf beaches and nightlife.

* WSPA has set up an appeal to save all of Bali’s 450,000 dogs from being poisoned to death. Donations will help vaccinate these dogs against rabies. Click HERE if you would like to make a donation to WSPA.