Animal Lovers Clash With City Over Stray Feeding Ban Signs

Animal welfare advocates are angry after the Nakhon Ratchasima municipality posted signs declaring that feeding stray dogs is illegal, and are calling for the signs to be removed and the message reworded. The municipality took the action after a rabies outbreak in the province from the start of the year to now, which infected 30 animals and exposed 17 people to the disease, including at least one death. Animal welfare organizations and volunteer groups say the signs unfairly criminalize feeding and argue the budget should instead go to vaccination and neutering programs. However, affected residents say the ban has worked: stray dogs leave food scraps, defecate in public areas that may harbor disease, cause traffic accidents, and attack people and each other.

At a public hearing on August 18, both sides agreed that the municipality's messaging was unclear and proposed revisions. Dr. Kung Vongchansuk, secretary of the Korat Animal Welfare Volunteer Association, said the phrasing "feeding equals breaking the law" was unfair and misrepresented the actual sanitation law. He suggested rewording to ask for cooperation in not feeding animals in specific areas, or allowing feeding only in designated containers that are cleaned immediately. Paricha, who runs the "Pary Rescue Dogs Korat" Facebook page, said her group already works with authorities on spaying, neutering, and vaccination drives, and wants the signs to distinguish clearly between health and legal issues. Community representatives countered that the signs have noticeably reduced problems and asked for clearer, more comprehensive communication from the municipality going forward.