Pit bulls banned from famous beaches

[Schwe]

Pit bulls banned from famous beaches
Thu Jul 7,10:11 AM ET

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Pit bulls were banned from Rio de Janeiro's famous beaches and other public places in the Brazilian city on Wednesday under new regulations that could eventually make the sometimes aggressive breed extinct in the area.

Many residents own the fearless, sturdy dogs for protection in a city where murder rates are among the highest in the world.

The ban, issued by the state of Rio de Janeiro after more than six years of debate, follows numerous cases of maulings by pit bulls, especially of children. Last year, a pit bull badly injured a 4-year-old girl in the city, while a year earlier another pit bull mauled a 72-year-old woman to death.

Gov. Rosinha Matheus announced a ban on breeding, importing and selling pit bulls and made the registration and sterilization of existing dogs compulsory within the next four months.

In addition, pit bulls, rottweilers, dobermans and fila brasileiro dogs -- purebred as well as mongrel -- can only appear in the streets between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m, and away from public parks and squares.

They can only be walked by a person older than 18 and always on a leash, with a muzzle when in the street. Owners who do not comply can face charges while their dogs will be taken away by police.

According to the Brazilian Pit Bull Club, there are some 30,000 pit bulls in the state.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050707/...RpBHNlYwM3NTc-