Municipal authorities sacrificed a whopping 93.5 percent of Guadalajara’s stray dogs and cats in 2018, according to information obtained by Spanish-language newspaper Mural.
Mural reported that 8,686 dogs and cats were captured in the five major metro-area municipalities (Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tonala, Tlaquepaque and Tlajomulco) last year. Only 564 animals were reclaimed by their owners or adopted. The remainder were euthanized under established regulations (Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-042-SSA2-2006).
This norm stipulates that authorities have the power to put down animals that are unclaimed by their owners within a lapse of 48 to 72 hours.
Mural quoted Mario Lopez Amezcua of the University of Guadalajara’s Agriculture and Biology campus, who explained that most municipalities in Jalisco do not have the budgets to care for the animals for any longer than the established norm.
Lopez said the crux of the problem is the lack of education of many citizens on how to properly look after their pets. Only when this changes will the euthanasia numbers start to drop, he said.