Log In

Reset Password
BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

British Government warns of stray dogs in Bermuda

In an updated travel advisory, the British Government has warned visitors to be wary of stray dogs (File photograph)

The British Government temporarily updated its travel advisory for Bermuda to warn potential visitors to be wary of stray dogs.

The warning, published on Britain’s Foreign Travel Advisory website on Tuesday, cautions readers that there have been “several recent incidents where residents and tourists have been approached, and on occasion, attacked by stray dogs”.

The warning added: “The Government of Bermuda is working to address the issue, but members of the public should remain vigilant and keep clear of stray dogs.

“Should an incident occur, local authorities should be informed.”

The warning has subsequently been removed, however, others remain including cautions about road conditions in Bermuda, “moderate” levels of crime, the seasonal threat of hurricanes and the possibility of terrorism.

The page states: “Although there’s no recent history of terrorism in Bermuda, attacks cannot be ruled out.”

Both Government House and the Government were contacted by The Royal Gazette regarding the warning, but neither had issued a comment as of press time last night.

Earlier this year, Lindsay Simmons, the Junior Minister of Home Affairs, told the Senate that the Government was considering measures to address an increasing number of complaints about dogs and a surge of animals being collected.

She said that between 2021 and 2023, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources dog-related complaints doubled and the number of animals collected had tripled.

Incidents have included a visitor who was attacked by a loose pitbull while he was walking through Southlands with his wife in May.

The issue returned to the headlines last month after a father told The Royal Gazette how two stray pitbulls attacked and killed his family dog in front of his two young children.

Walter Roban, the Minister of Home Affairs, subsequently said that regulations to allow animal control officers to ticket dog owners over minor offences were expected soon and a report on ways to control dangerous drugs was forthcoming.

“Once I have the report, I will decide on the next steps,” he said.

“The ministry is also discussing other strategies to support the wardens as they work to address the issues surrounding dogs in the community and take the necessary steps to protect and ensure families can enjoy the outdoors without fear of dangerous or unruly dogs,” Mr Roban said.

He highlighted that two cases of minor dog infractions were prosecuted successfully so far this year and more cases were expected to be submitted to the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Pitbulls are an illegal breed in Britain.

• UPDATE: this story has been updated to confirm that the dog warning has now been removed

You must be Registered or to post comment or to vote.

Published July 04, 2024 at 7:59 am (Updated July 04, 2024 at 10:13 am)

British Government warns of stray dogs in Bermuda

What you
Need to
Know
1. For a smooth experience with our commenting system we recommend that you use Internet Explorer 10 or higher, Firefox or Chrome Browsers. Additionally please clear both your browser's cache and cookies - How do I clear my cache and cookies?
2. Please respect the use of this community forum and its users.
3. Any poster that insults, threatens or verbally abuses another member, uses defamatory language, or deliberately disrupts discussions will be banned.
4. Users who violate the Terms of Service or any commenting rules will be banned.
5. Please stay on topic. "Trolling" to incite emotional responses and disrupt conversations will be deleted.
6. To understand further what is and isn't allowed and the actions we may take, please read our Terms of Service
7. To report breaches of the Terms of Service use the flag icon