Dog Owners In Tel Aviv Must Register Dog DNA With City Government
JAKARTA - Dog owners in Tel Aviv must now provide DNA samples of their pet dogs, after receiving or renewing their dog ownership licenses, in a bid to combat the problem of dog droppings on the road not being picked up by their owners.
On the evening of Monday 12 July, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Council approved an amendment to the city ordinance, requiring dog owners to register their pets with a DNA database.
This will allow city inspectors to collect samples of dog droppings that are not collected on the streets, after which fines will be sent by post to owners who do not clean them.
According to regulations, they will also be charged for sampling and testing. The law has been submitted to the Interior Ministry for review, and is awaiting approval, citing the Jerusalem Post July 13.
The city government calculates that about 500 kilograms of dog droppings are not picked up from the streets every month. The existence of this law is expected to reduce this number.
"The city government has worked hard to eradicate the poop collection problem, by imposing fines on dog owners, placing bag collection facilities in gardens and parks, setting up dozens of dog parks throughout the city, but this has not reduced the problem. It is the responsibility of owners to keep public spaces clean. clean," said the city government representative.
The human-to-dog ratio in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel is one of the highest in the world, with one in every 11 people in the area owning a dog.
The city government launched a campaign encouraging owners to collect their dog's poop in April, after data found an increase in the amount of dog poop that owners didn't pick up throughout 2020.
In 2020 alone, approximately 6,766 service calls were opened on 106+ service centers and on 106+ apps, regarding cleaning and enforcement in public spaces. The Green Patrol, which is responsible for enforcing the issue, distributed more than 3,500 fines to people who didn't collect their dog poop.
"Cleanliness of public spaces is an integral part of the appearance of the city. The city government hopes that policies to reduce this phenomenon will indeed bring about change among dog owners who do not collect dog feces in the city," hoped the city government.
"The city government believes that through information, enforcement and cooperation from all city residents, there will be an improvement in this issue, for the sake of the quality of life in the city," concluded the city government statement.