Residents of Hossana, a town in central Ethiopia, have found themselves in a grim situation where they were forced to kill hundreds of their own dogs after three children died from rabies. Powerful community groups, affiliated with the local government, told residents they would be fined and arrested if their dogs were not killed - even if the animals had been vaccinated. Mayor Samuel Shigute says the killings were "illegal" and not ordered by his administration, but that didn't stop some reluctant owners from hanging or beating their dogs to death, or handing them over to be killed.

The tragedy began after three children died from dog bites and 80 others were hospitalized. The community groups issued the orders, and eyewitnesses reported dogs hanging from trees, with photos too graphic to publish. One resident, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said he handed over his vaccinated dog of five years rather than kill it himself. "I am very saddened by the loss," he said. Mayor Samuel noted that roughly 70% of Hossana's 10,000 dogs were guard dogs that had received rabies jabs.

Local vet Alaazar Ayele estimated that 400 to 450 dogs were killed in just a few days. "People dragged dogs out and killed them in shocking ways," he said. "This is immoral and unacceptable in religion, culture, and law." Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but treatment before that point can be successful. Unvaccinated dogs usually cannot survive the disease, so they are often put down. However, the mass culling in Hossana went beyond that.

Mayor Samuel said police stopped the killings "within a day," but animal rights activist Feven Melese reported that individuals were still going door to door demanding unvaccinated dogs be killed. A resident said owners were threatened with a 50,000 birr ($300) fine or arrest for non-compliance. In Ethiopia, it is illegal to kill animals in public or cause them unnecessary suffering. Samuel has ordered an investigation, and Feven called for swift action: "If the local government bodies say they did not give the order, they should hold the criminals accountable."