Birao and his stray dogs

By Lingyun SUWAN the LNC

(Bangui on October 2, 2026 l LAMINE MEDIA) In Birao, in the Vakaga, in the extreme northeast of the country. there are street dogs circulating freely, most of whom have no owners. They live by the hundreds, wandering freely in the streets and mingling with the lives of the inhabitants. According to a local urban legend, they were sent to the city in the 70s, during the reign of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, to prevent Bangui, dogs affected by rabies. As incredible as this story is, it’s passed down from generation to generation.
Let us take as an example, Alfred Samba, a humanitarian worker, freshly arrived in the city, wants to walk, but his glance falls on a giant dog which passes in front of him. As he says: "I see that dogs are really part of everyday life here. We meet them everywhere in the neighborhoods and on the avenues. I have traveled several regions of the country but here, I can say that dogs make the particularity of the city.” But these dogs, who often have no owners, live alone and look for food in the streets. But are sometimes aggressive, as testified by Assana Abdoulaye, a resident of Birao: "Some of these dogs are very aggressive. When you want to go out at night, you need a stick in your hand. Here, dogs run away from sticks. It’s nighttime, everyone walks around with a stick. At night, if you don’t have a stick, the dogs will attack you.”
However, this massive presence of dogs poses a public health problem related to bites and diseases, as one resident says: "The problem is that we do not always know the state of health of these dogs. Most are not vaccinated, they do not follow treatment. We should be able to identify them, vaccinate them and above all raise public awareness to avoid bites and the risks associated with rabies. In the event of an epidemic such as rabies or a dog’s own infectious disease, it will be difficult to channel them; they will be dangerous for society.”

For: LAMINE MEDIA (in FR and GB).
Date: October 2 2026
Copyright <: 2013 - 2026 All rights reserved: LAMINE MEDIA

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