Stray dogs scare visitors off on Cox’s Bazar beach

OUR CORRESPONDENT | July 07, 2022 00:00:00

Stray dogs frequent Cox's Bazar beach, often giving rise to fear among visitors — FE Photo

COX'S BAZAR, July 06: The menace of stray dogs has increased in Cox's Bazar.

As no action is being taken by the authorities concerned to control the stray dogs, the rising number of dogs is posing a big problem of safety on the beach for the travellers.

According to the locals, the number of stray dogs could have been more than 10,000 on the 120-kilometre long beach.

Tourists visiting the beach are quite annoyed by these dogs.

Atikul Rahman, a tourist who has recently come to Cox's Bazar from Dhaka city, said that dogs roaming on the beach do not look great on a picturesque beach.

Another tourist Sujan Mia said, "I've come to Cox's Bazar to spend some time in the beach town. But the dogs disturb me."

"Some dogs chase after the food, and I'm afraid of being bitten any time," he added.

Monirul Islam, who came with his family members from Rangpur, said that the other day he had faced an awkward situation where a dog started biting his cloth.

"However, we're fortunate that beach police came in time and rescued us," he added.

Zahurul Haque, an oyster trader on the beach, said, "The dog infestation on the beach has suddenly increased. So, tourists do not want to stay longer on the beach."

Contacted, Cox's Bazar Zone Additional Superintendent of Police, Md Rezaul Karim, said, "We're aware of the situation. Tourist police are now thinking of transferring the dogs to another place."

"We are giving our maximum efforts for the safety of the tourists," he added.

Cox's Bazar District Council Chairman Mostaq Ahmed Chowdhury also admitted the menace and said that dog infestation had increased at various points on the beach, including the city of Cox's Bazar.

He also said, "These dogs should be removed from the beach points immediately. Besides, measures should be taken to ensure that dogs and cows cannot enter the beach easily."

"The process of killing dogs has been stopped for the last few years. This is why the number of dogs has multiplied", he pointed out.

[email protected]