THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following complaints from city residents regarding stray dog menace, the corporation has decided to intensify the R-ABC (Rabies-Animal Birth Control) project aimed at reducing the number of strays and compulsory licensing of pet dogs. This decision was taken after ‘Operation Bow-Bow’ was carried out by the corporation on Monday night led by Mayor K Sreekumar along with health officials and veterinarians. As part of the drive, a team led by dog-catchers, veterinarians and health officials of city corporation caught about 20 stray dogs from the Thirumala and Poojappura areas.
The strays dogs will be sterilised and released back to their areas in three days. “The drive was conducted after we received complaints from the residents regarding the stray dog menace in the areas where cases of dog bites were also reported. We plan to conduct surgeries by roping in private veterinarians,” said the Mayor.He also said that continuous birth control of strays in the city will be carried out by the corporation in the coming days in the wake of the cases reported of stray dog attacks in the city. He also said that the R-ABC activities will be carried out on ward basis.
As part of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme to check stray dog population, a survey was conducted by the city corporation two years ago which estimated that there were nearly 9,500 strays in the city. Health Staning Committee chairperson I P Binu said that as summer sees an increase in the case of rabid dogs, the corporation plans to sterilise strays to control population before summer. A minimum of 10 sterilisations are expected to be performed in a day and the dogs will be released to their respective areas within five days.
A special team has been formed to catch and identify unsterilised animals. Once the process is complete, the dogs will be implanted with microchips with a notch on their ear so that they can be easily identified for re-vaccination. Besides strays, the owners of pet dogs are also required to register themselves with any of the 15 veterinary hospitals under the corporation limits or any other 15 private veterinarians who are entrusted to carry out the vaccinations. The registrations can also be done online through the R-ABC link on the city corporation’s website.