Kerala must manage stray dog numbers
Kerala society is in conflict with its stray dog population. The death of an 11-year-old differently-abled boy in a dog attack in Kannur district last Sunday worsened the friction and heightened the pressure on the state government to act. Though the exact numbers aren’t available, the reality is that Kerala’s stray dog population, estimated at 2.89 lakh in 2019, has grown beyond manageable limits since the Covid pandemic, thanks mainly to lapses in the sterilisation programme. There were 21 rabies deaths in 2022 and six so far this year. More than eight lakh stray dog attack cases occurred between 2016 and 2021. After a series of rabies deaths last year, the government decided to scale up vaccination and sterilisation activities, but the efforts remained ineffective. Five of the 14 districts are still without an Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre, and only about 32,000 stray dogs were vaccinated across the state in the last nine months.
According to Kerala’s local self-government minister M B Rajesh, the provisions of the revised ABC Rules pose hurdles for the government in managing the stray dog population. He was pointing to how conditions like the mandatory Animal Welfare Board of India certificate for opening ABC centres, the requirement of vets with experience of performing at least 2,000 sterilisation surgeries at such centres, and other tough provisions are making the authorities’ job difficult. Desperate as it is now, the government, according to Rajesh, is even exploring the possibility of invoking Section 133F of CrPC to kill stray dogs deemed dangerous.
There’s no doubt that the government must manage the stray dog numbers. The rules exist for a reason, and nothing illegal should be done. However, a review is imperative if the rules are indeed part of the problem. It’s an accepted fact the world over that killing strays is not the solution. The Constitution guarantees certain rights for animals, and they must be protected. ABC is the only approved way to manage the numbers. The ways suggested by experts are sterilisation of at least 70% of the strays, anti-rabies vaccination every year, regular community feeding, adoption, and removal of sick, injured, and abandoned dogs from streets to proper shelters. The government must set up more ABC centres, intensify sterilisation/vaccination programmes and create a scenario where dogs are seen as part of the community and do not become a threat to it.