VIRUDHUNAGAR: With nearly 1,600 dog bite cases reported every month, Virudhunagar district is facing a huge challenge in addressing the issue as there are no animal birth control (ABC) centres to carry out sterilisation surgeries, the key procedure to curb stray dog population. The district has 15 local bodies, including one corporation, five municipalities and nine town panchayats, but only Rajapalayam municipality has an ABC centre.
Sources from the district administration said Sivakasi corporation and four municipalities (Virudhunagar, Sattur, Aruppukottai, Srivilliputhur) have established ABC infrastructure, but their application for project recognition has not been cleared yet by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) for several reasons. Sources added that AWBI had flagged a few issues in the applications and directed the local bodies to set them right.
In Rajapalayam, a recent survey by the municipality across the 42 wards revealed presence of 570 stray dogs. “The ABC centre became operational only a month ago and has so far sterilised 78 dogs at an average of 25 surgeries per week,” a senior official from the municipality said. On Sunday, five people including an 8-year-old child was bitten by stray dogs near Sivakasi.
In the last week of June, a dog which was abandoned by its owner attacked nearly 50 people over three days at Koomapatti village in Watrap town panchayat. Most of the victims were daily wage labourers.
“I am the breadwinner for my family of three. Due to the severe injuries from the dog bite, I was advised to restrict leg movement. I am unable to work and forced to borrow money to run my household,” said S Veeraselvam (51), a coconut tree climber. The residents said the panchayat officials captured the dog only after they staged protests, but no action has been taken to address the menace. “Why has the government failed to implement measures like sterilisation and proper waste management, even after nearly 50 people were bitten in a single incident?” they questioned.
Dr P Parthipan, a veterinarian who has been practising in Virudhunagar for the past eight years, said unlike pets, stray dogs do not have access to regular food, which makes them irritable and aggressive. “Hunger and deprivation often trigger changes in their behaviour, making them more ferocious. Further, when strays get accustomed to feeding on chicken waste dumped by meat shops, they develop a taste for blood, and in times of hunger, even turn to attacking vulnerable people, especially children,” he explained.
Further, Parthipan said the rise in stray dog population is to due to lack of systematic sterilisation. He stressed the need for the government to carry out large-scale ABC campaigns based on proper surveys, rather than implementing them superficially.