THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Complaints of stray dog menace have spiked following the reopening of schools and other educational institutions. As per the data with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), around 20,660 dog bite cases (both pet and stray) were reported in the district till October 31, raising serious concern on the stray dog situation in the capital. Owing to lack of facilities, the city corporation has stalled the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. According to officials, the ABC programme carried out by the Kudumbashree Mission had to be suspended following the High Court intervention.
As per norms, only accredited NGOs having recognition of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) are allowed to carry out ABC programmes. The anti-rabies vaccinations drive has also been stalled in the capital following the pandemic outbreak.
Due to various challenges this year, the civic body could sterilise only 1,750 dogs which is very less compared to other years. In 2020, the civic body had sterilised more than 4,000 dogs. Another challenge being faced by the civic body is that there is no data on the stray dog population in the state capital.
Recent deaths of several canines in Kovalam due to canine distemper — a viral disease seen among dogs — is also sparking concern. It is learnt that around 20 dogs were found dead in Kovalam due to the viral outbreak.
Latha Indira, secretary of People for Animal (PFA), said, “We haven’t received any complaints regarding the spike in dog bite incidents, especially after school reopening. If there are complaints, those should be investigated and authorities should find out how many students were bitten by dogs. It’s a baseless allegation”. She said the number of deaths among stray dogs has gone up of late.
“A majority of the calls we receive are related to canine deaths. Canine distemper is a viral disease that emerges during the rainy season. This year, the deaths are more. There are multi-component vaccines available for prevention but in Kerala, only anti rabies vaccines are administered on dogs. Also, humans don’t contract canine distemper and it spreads only from dog to dog. Hence, nobody is keen as the multi-component vaccine is more expensive than anti-rabies vaccine,” said Indira.
Residents to move HC
With no respite in the menace, the residents’ associations have submitted a complaint to the mayor urging immediate intervention. The Confederation of Residents Association (CONFRA) has decided to move the High Court seeking intervention in the matter.
“The High Court and animal rights activists are bothered about the protection and rights of stray animals. The protection of citizens from stray dog menace should also be given equal priority by the HC. Hence, we have decided to file a petition. We are not against the protection of animals. The authorities should come up with solutions and properly rehabilitate the strays,” said CONFRA general secretary M Sashidharan Nair. He said there is huge pressure from the residents.
“We had staged dharnas in front of the Secretariat demanding action. Waste dumping in public places is one of the reasons for the growing stray population in the capital,” he added.
Corp allots E18 lakh to revamp ABC centre
A senior official of the corporation said they are attending only emergency calls related to the stray dog menace from the residents. “We are receiving plenty of complaints regarding stray dogs, especially after the school reopening. Currently, we don’t have the facility to catch too many dogs. We don’t have enough canine cages and other facilities to shelter the dogs at the ABC centre at Thiruvallam until they recover after sterilisation,” said the official.
With complaints increasing, the civic body has allotted `18 lakh to carry out emergency maintenance work to improve the facilities at the centre. “The engineering wing has already floated tenders and the work will be awarded soon. The emergency maintenance work would be completed within three months,” said the official.
It’s been three years since the ABC centre at Pettah Veterinary Hospital was shut down. Latha Indira said. “The the ABC centre at Pettah was shut down without any valid reason. The structure was perfectly fine and didn’t require any renovation,” said Indira.
ABC centre cum multi speciality hospital soon
To make the ABC programme more effective, the city corporation is gearing up to set up a first-of-its-kind exclusive ABC centre-cum-multi-speciality veterinary hospital in the state capital. “The council has passed the proposal and the project is estimated to cost around C4 crore. We have given a letter to the engineering wing to take the estimates for the project. Expression of Interest (EoI) will be invited soon.
It would take another two years to complete the project,” said an official. The plan is to set up the facility on the lines of the multi-speciality hospital in Kozhikode. The hospital would act as a one-stop care centre for all pet-related emergencies and offer medical care for rescued animals. The facility would be coming up at Thiruvallam.
Cause for concern
