BENGALURU: With 19,488 dog bite cases being reported in 2014- 2015 under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry Department, BBMP, Dr Maheshwar Gowda, says Information Education and Communication (IEC) activity across BBMP schools, slums and vulnerable areas will be intensified as many bites are attributed to provocation and ignorance.
A Palike official said the programme will help children understand the behaviour of animals. “We have less staff and were concentrating on Animal Birth Control (ABC). Hence, deputing manpower for Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities suffered. However, this will be intensified as a few resource persons — Four Assistant Directors (ADs), and Four Veterinary Inspectors (VIs) — will be recruited soon. At present, a Joint Director, Five ADs and nine VIs are serving,” he said.
Boost to Animal Birth Control: At present, BBMP is able to sterilise and vaccinate about 3,000 stray dogs in city per year. Currently, there are seven centres in the city, which are doing this process. The Palike aims at covering 6,000 stray dogs by opening new centres.
Adding more to the Animal Birth Control, (ABC) Dr Parveez Ahmed Piran, Veterinarian and Retired Additional Director, Animal Husbandry Department, says, “It is impossible to eliminate dog bites completely with ABC. Majority of the bite cases are due to ignorance of the victims and their parents.”
IEC and ABC
In order to bring down dog bite cases, BBMP started its IEC and ABC campaign in its schools in 2012. It has been doing its animal birth control programme in its 13 centres almost every day. The civic body is running awareness campaigns in the media too.
Stray Dogs Can't Be Killed
■ As per an SC order, a civic body cannot kill stray dogs. Only if a dog is rabid or is highly infected with a incurable disease, Palike can euthanize a dogas per the guidelines.
■ As per the 2012 Live Stock census report, there are 1.85 lakh stray dogs in the city and their numbers could have increased.
■ BBMP spent Rs 1.55 lakh for animal birth control programme in 2014-2015 and Rs 2 crore in 2015-2016
No. of cases Reported
Number of Deaths