KOCHI: It seems to be yet another case of grand plans coming a cropper on the ground. Despite growing stray dog attacks and rabies cases, the majority of local self-government institutions have failed to come up with vaccination projects for stray dog management in the state.
It is learnt that hardly 212 local self-government institutions of 941-gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 87 municipalities, and six corporations have submitted stray dog vaccination projects in the state so far.
In Ernakulam district, only 10 of the total 111 local self-government institutions have submitted projects for stray dog vaccination. Thiruvananthapuram is relatively better off, with 56 out of the 90 local bodies having submitted projects for the purpose.
Rabies and stray dog attacks have been a major issue haunting the state since last year. With efforts to manage stray dogs going nowhere, the departments, including local self-governance and animal husbandry, are now blaming each other.
According to a 2019 survey by the animal husbandry department, there are over 2.89 lakh stray dogs and 8.39 lakh pet dogs in Kerala. Experts say that the state should achieve at least 70 per cent vaccination coverage to achieve herd immunity and eradicate rabies.
Last year, in June, panic spread throughout the state after an 11-year-old child was mauled to death by stray dogs in Kannur. Since then, several incidents of stray dog attacks have been reported in the state.
Though several decisions were taken to manage the stray dogs, there has been little impact on the ground. Analysts have, for a long, been highlighting that local bodies do not have proper facilities for vax drives, animal birth control centres and rehabilitation units.
Blame game
There are about 170 hot spots in the state, where 10 or more dog bite incidents have been reported in recent times. “A majority of the gram panchayats have not submitted projects for stray dog vaccination. Our department has taken this up with the LSG department,” says a senior animal husbandry official.
“Without the cooperation of the local bodies, we cannot do much. They should come up with projects so that we can collectively deal with the problem. Even after so many months, only about 200 local bodies have come forward for stray dog vaccination.”
The official adds that the animal husbandry department has urged Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh to direct the local bodies to submit projects. The local bodies, meanwhile, blame the animal husbandry department, alleging that it has failed to extend sufficient support.
“The local bodies are making a lot of effort. Stray dogs are one of the many responsibilities of the animal husbandry department. Yet, they are not giving us enough help,” says a panchayat president, who requests anonymity.
According to the animal husbandry department, it has trained about 450 dog catchers. Furthermore, the state government has roped in Mission Rabies, an NGO, as a knowledge partner to deal with the stray dogs. “They are giving us technical and technological support for scientific handling of stray dogs, and they are taking classes for the local bodies and have already covered a lot of districts, including Ernakulam, Malappuram, and Thiruvananthapuram,” says the animal husbandry official.
“Mission Rabies has provided us with the technology to map the vaccination. They have given training to the livestock inspectors to use the application to record the vaccination.” The official says local bodies should chip in Rs 500 for vaccinating a stray dog. “The local bodies should give Rs 300 for dog catchers and Rs 200 for vehicles for carrying out vaccination. Without earmarking funds for this, the situation will continue,” the official adds.
Lack of coordination
Ernakulam district panchayat president Ullas Thomas underlines “lack of coordination” as the main reason for the poor responses from local bodies. “The district planning committee (DPC) is responsible for directing the local bodies to chalk out projects,” he explains. “This is a priority issue, and we have already discussed this with the DPC. The panchayat has already set up two ABC centres.” Public resistance, according to Ullas, is another hurdle. “We have identified land for setting up a rehabilitation centre for stray dogs, but, because of public resistance, we couldn’t go ahead with the project. It’s the same when we attempt to set up ABC centres,” he says.
