Thursday, July 07, 2005
Pit bulls banned from famous beaches
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Pit bulls were banned
from Rio de Janeiro's famous beaches and other public places in
the Brazilian city on Wednesday under new regulations that
could eventually make the sometimes aggressive breed extinct in
the area.
Many residents own the fearless, sturdy dogs for protection
in a city where murder rates are among the highest in the
world.
The ban, issued by the state of Rio de Janeiro after more
than six years of debate, follows numerous cases of maulings by
pit bulls, especially of children. Last year, a pit bull badly
injured a 4-year-old girl in the city, while a year earlier
another pit bull mauled a 72-year-old woman to death.
Gov. Rosinha Matheus announced a ban on breeding, importing
and selling pit bulls and made the registration and
sterilization of existing dogs compulsory within the next four
months.
In addition, pit bulls, rottweilers, dobermans and fila
brasileiro dogs -- purebred as well as mongrel -- can only
appear in the streets between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m, and away
from public parks and squares.
They can only be walked by a person older than 18 and
always on a leash, with a muzzle when in the street. Owners who
do not comply can face charges while their dogs will be taken
away by police.
According to the Brazilian Pit Bull Club, there are some
30,000 pit bulls in the state.
