Tourists and neighbors of wooded areas around Pattaya are calling on authorities to cull the stray dog and monkey population in the face of the current rabies crisis.
Both Big Buddha Mountain and Pratamnak Hill host lush parks with running tracks and exercise areas. However, users said they’re increasingly afraid of the stray dogs and wild monkeys in the area after Chonburi was declared a “red zone” for rabies outbreaks.
An April 10 tour of Khao Phra Yai Park indeed found many dogs living there and begging for food. The park already has issues with vagrants, petty crime and teenagers using drugs. Now park users fear they’ll be bitten by a rabies-infected animal.
Park users there and around the Pattaya viewpoint on Pratamnak Hill want animal-control officers to catch and check dogs and monkeys to keep them safe.
