KOCHI: Mismanagement and utter neglect have claimed the lives of 17 mother dogs and puppies, in two months at the Animal Birth Control Centre at Brahmapuram, a facility that is meant to protect stray dogs.
Situated near the bio-mining site at Brahmapuram, the ABC centre is the only such facility that is functional in the entire district. Currently a team of 12 employees is working at the ABC centre, including dog catchers, to manage the facility while two veterinary surgeons have been deployed for the sterilisation surgery of stray dogs.
As per norms, mother dogs and puppies should not be caught and kept at ABC centres as surgery is not possible on them. However, it is alleged that the dog catchers caught mother dogs and puppies from different parts of the city violating the rules, and kept them at the centre without giving proper food and water.
In the latest incident, three mother dogs and puppies caught from the High Court premises died, sparking controversy.
The dogs caught from the streets are taken to the centre where sterilisation is conducted in the surgical room. Later, they are put under observation for at least four days before taking them back to the location from where they were caught. This protocol was violated in the Brahmapuram centre as many dogs are kept in the shelter without letting them outside, leading to deaths.
According to Antony Abhijith K R, founder of Society for Animal Rescue and Compassion, “The stray dogs caught with suspected rabies infection are also kept until they die in the cages there. As per the protocol, the rabies suspected dogs should be kept under observation in a separate cage and once the observation quarantine is over, if there is no infection, they should be released. Here, without proper care, they are dying inside the cage. It is total violation of animal rights, that too, in a facility meant for protecting them.”
Antony has lodged a complaint with Ernakulam Infopark police seeking probe against the veterinary surgeons monitoring the centre.
Meanwhile, responding to the allegations, Dr Ambily T, who monitors the centre at Brahmapuram, said the staff were doing their best, even under limited facilities, to run the centre following all protocols. She denied allegations of neglect towards dogs at the centre.
“Complaints have been widely reported regarding the aggressive behaviour of mother dogs. People want them to be taken away. In the absence of alternatives, we are forced to catch them from streets. It is difficult for puppies to survive in a facility where large number of stray dogs are present as they may be carriers of different infections,” she said.
The centre at Brahmapuram conducts 150 sterilisation surgeries a month. “We receive many calls from councillors on a daily basis and need at least four to five days time to respond as such is the backlog. If any cases of rabies come up, then attending others may not be possible, increasing the load,” she added.
Brahmapuram centre
Centre was opened in 2015
150 sterilisation procedures per month
12 staff: Two veterinarians, four dog catchers, two nursing assistants and four cleaning staff
