Pit bull terriers are to be banned in Australia’s biggest states after a series of vicious dog attacks put people in hospital.
New South Wales premier Bob Carr on Tuesday branded the breed ”killing machines on leashes” that should be exterminated.
The ban comes after a five-year-old boy was seriously injured by a pit bull when he was walking home from school in Sydney. A 75-year-old man is also recovering in hospital after being set upon by two pit bulls.
Carr said laws would be introduced later this year to ban the sale, acquisition, breeding or giving away of pit bull terriers, American pit bulls, Japanese tosas, Argentinian fighting dogs and Brazilian fighting dogs.
While current owners will be able to keep their animals, the hope is that the new laws would see the breeds die out. Queensland, the neighbouring state, already has laws banning pit bulls and other dogs bred to fight each other in pits.
Veterinarians questioned whether the laws would result in fewer attacks, noting that owners of fighting dogs were anti-social people who ignored rules and regulations. – Sapa-DPA