Vet students tackle Australian feral dog population

Australian veterinary students are volunteering their time in outback Australia in a bid to address the high numbers of aggressive and neglected dogs in remote communities to improve public health.

Students from Murdoch University in Western Australia traveled to the East Kimberley Aboriginal communities as part of a six- month de-sexing -- or neutering -- program conducted by the Western Australia government.

Rapidly breeding and unwanted dogs are a problem across many Australian Aboriginal communities, the group's supervisor Professor Ian Robertson told Australia's national broadcaster on Monday.

"In Perth, say, people will have one or two dogs at the most, but in Indigenous communities there are often many dogs, and they wander and then breed," Robertson said. "And too many dogs leads to attacks on people, attacks on other dogs, scattering rubbish, and also diseases that humans can catch from animals."

The Australian students lauded the extra experience and program to improve community health.

Australian government dog laws and authority's services do not usually cover Aboriginal communities. Regular veterinary services are also rare. Endi