Boy's death from eating poison for stray dogs stirs furore in Pakistan

The death of a child in Pakistan who mistakenly ate toxic sweets that were meant to kill stray dogs has sparked a fresh debate in the country over animal cruelty.

The 2-year-old boy accidentally ate sweet poisoned cheese balls that had been laid out to kill the dogs in the southern city of Karachi, police officer Shah Jahan said on Wednesday.

The death renewed discussion about whether Pakistani authorities should continue with the culling of stray animals to prevent deaths by rabies, a disease caused by dog bites.

Around 50,000 stray dogs are either gunned down or poisoned by municipal authorities in major Pakistani cities every year, according to government data.

Up to 5,000 deaths are caused by rabies every year, mostly in remote areas where the vaccine is not available, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

"Seeing people die of rabies is painful, but killing dogs is equally condemnable," said doctor Naseem Salauddin, who runs a project in Karachi to neuter and vaccinate stray dog.

"Authorities must show compassion towards animals and make sure the problem is tackled through humane ways," she added, speaking by phone from Karachi's Indus Hospital.

Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation, Karachi's largest animal rescue service, condemned the practice of killing dogs after the child's death, making a fresh call to end the policy.

"The more you hurt the innocent, the more those you claim to protect will end up getting hurt," the foundation said in a statement.

"Violence of any sort is never the answer. And empathy is meant for everyone, human and animal."