Postmen stamp out roaming dogs danger

Delivering mail has become such a hazardous job in parts of Auckland that dog rangers armed with poles and nooses are to be used to protect postmen on their rounds.

New Zealand Post decided that radical action was needed after 30 incidents in the past six months of postmen being bitten by dogs in Otara, south Auckland. Last week the situation became so perilous that postmen were ordered to stop delivering mail in some Otara streets. Residents had to pick their post up from a regional sorting centre in neighbouring Papatoetoe.

The rangers will accompany postmen on their rounds for a week, after which New Zealand Post will decide whether further action is needed.

The company said that while dogs were an occupational hazard for postmen, in parts of Otara the danger had become "quite extreme" and firm action was required. The area is said to be home to large numbers of roaming, aggressive dogs. "This is certainly one of the most serious cases we have had to deal with," said a spokeswoman, Rowena O'Neil.

"We have at times stopped delivery to certain houses elsewhere, but there are so many dogs in this area that we stopped altogether." She said it was rare to suspend deliveries, but the company was not prepared to put its employees at risk.

Nat Bercher, an Otara resident, said: "You can barely walk down the road, there are so many dogs around. It's like the Bronx." The local authority, Manukau City Council, said it planned to launch a crackdown on 400 dogs that were not registered.