A feral dog spotted in Kyoto along the Katsuragawa river near the Matsuobashi bridge in June 2018 (Provided by the Kyoto Animal Protecting Center)

KYOTO--Feral dogs are a growing problem near a scenic spot here that has been popular since ancient times, and city authorities are warning residents and tourists to stay away, fearing people could be bitten, or worse.

Wild dogs, sometimes roaming in packs, have been frequently spotted around the Katsuragawa river near the famed Arashiyama district.

The Kyoto city government, which believes that stray dogs went feral and bred, is trying to round up as many of the canines as possible and find them homes. Those that don't bond with humans have to be put down.

City authorities as well as Kyoto prefectural police are calling on people not to approach the canines for their own safety.

The Nishikyo police station has received 20 reports of feral dog sightings since March.

That same month, a dog owner living nearby encountered wild dogs when taking his pooch for a walk.

“One time, there were about seven of them,” he said. “It was really scary to come across so many feral dogs.”

According to Kyoto city officials, many sightings have been reported near the Matsuobashi bridge over the Katsuragawa river and the Arashiyama Higashi Park in Nishikyo Ward.

Feral dogs tend to hide in grassy areas during the daytime and go foraging for food at night, according to city officials.

In fiscal 2018, the Kyoto Animal Protecting Center captured 42 dogs along the Katsuragawa river, compared with only two the year before. Most of the canines caught last fiscal year appeared to be feral, and more than half were puppies.

Owners were found for 16 of them, and three died. Fifteen dogs that failed to bond with humans were put down.

The center is still seeking owners for the remaining eight.

One dog was caught in May of this year, and another in June.

Kyoto city authorities are aiming to round up all the feral dogs.

The municipality began placing traps along the Katsuragawa river and elsewhere in 2013, and started setting more in the riverside area in March of this year.

A city official noted that feral dogs inhabiting along the Katsuragawa river must be fed by local residents because their “nutritional state is so good and they have healthy coats and plump bodies.”

Keiko Yamazaki, head of the Animal Literacy Research Institute in Tokyo’s Kiyose, warned against feeding the dogs, saying it will only cause feral numbers to increase.

“Better nutrition leads to a higher ability to breed,” said Yamazaki. “The problem is that feral dogs by and large cannot co-exist with humans, so they cannot be kept as pets even when they are caught. Since many of the dogs are euthanized, feeding them can be deemed as a form of animal abuse.”