Orphaned Sri Lanka Dogs Seen as Danger

They're dogs of all sizes, color and character, former pets that have been left without masters after the tsunami flooded this eastern Sri Lankan village, killing at least 1,000 of its 6,000 residents.

For three weeks, hundreds of dogs have wandered through the rubble of Ulle in search of food, puddles from which to lap and often just a reassuring pat on the head.

The animals are too timid to compete with humans for the food that arrives at refugee camps every day. Yet in Ulle and across this poor island nation, some dogs are slowly getting meaner, howling at night, joining wandering packs, snarling at one another over the animal carcasses that wash up along the beach.

Last weekend, Sri Lankan officials began planning a dog eradication program after one person in Ampara province, which includes Ulle, reportedly contracted rabies, presumably after being bitten by a dog. The victim's condition was not known. In Ulle, more than half a dozen people -- including two foreign relief workers -- have also recently been bitten by dogs. None has been diagnosed with rabies so far.

"We really don't want to do this, but dogs are becoming a big problem," said Maj. Shene Gunawadhane, a local army commander. "Our country is at a critical point

Officials say the canine eradication program will start in the next few days and could soon be extended to other regions. They plan to poison the dogs with cyanide-laced meat, although they've had problems finding enough cyanide.

Rare in the United States, rabies is a feared killer in much of the Third World. A vaccine exists but is not available in many places.

"In most of the world, you get rabies, you're dead because there is no cure," said Neil Jayasekera, a San Francisco-area doctor dispensing medical aid through Relief International. "If you have one diagnosed case in the Ampara region, that is really scary. Because if we know about one, there must be many more."

Rabies is a virus that grows and spreads along nerve cells. It can bring about an excruciating death marked by fever, spasms, delirium and coma.