A 4th dog has suffered a bizarre case of electrocution after passing one of Lisbon’s street lights. The good news is that this time, the dog did not die.
Last week, three dogs were killed following incidents in Odivelas and Parque das Nações.
Traumatised pet owners have already lodged complaints with Lisbon City Council, as has the owner of this latest incident which took place “at the end of the afternoon on Monday, after touching the lamppost at no. 77 Rua da Escola Politécnica”, writes Correio da Manhã.
Considering the dangers seemingly posed by lamposts in the capital, it is surprising that more has not been made of this story as dogs will be extremely vulnerable to live currents as they are generally walking with their feet unprotected.
As The Resident warned in our news podcast last Friday, visitors to Lisbon would be wise to wear Wellington boots, particularly if walking dogs (potentially even small children) on wet pavements.
A lot has been discussed about this situation over social media, but there has been scant information from Lisbon City Hall, where opposition councillors are calling the situation “serious”.
Alexandra Leitão, for PS Socialists, said after the first three deaths: “It is fundamental to clarify this incident. Keeping public spaces safe, and this includes the maintenance of street lighting, is a central responsibility of the city council. It is also a duty to protect whoever circulates in the city, people and animals”.
PAN (the People, Animals, Nature party), has also addressed the issue in parliament, saying: “Given the seriousness of the facts, it is necessary to determine responsibilities, verify the existence of security control failures, scrutinise any non-compliance by concessionaires or network operators, determine the degree of public oversight exercised, and gather information on the prevention and mitigation measures that the government, through the competent authorities, determines to adopt immediately, as well as to determine the appropriate responsibilities”.
It is understood that network manager E-Redes is already ‘investigating’ these anomalies alongside Lisbon council technicians, but since last week there has been no further information.
Posts over social media however have highlighted the states of repair of certain street lights (see image above).
sources: Correio da Manhã/ Observador/ Facebook
