KOCHI: The amici curiae, looking into a case over the protection of animal rights, on Monday informed the Kerala High Court that the recovery of a large number of dog carcasses from the municipal yard of the Thrikkakkara municipality shows the miserable failure of the state in effectively implementing the animal birth control (ABC) programme.
The report was filed by the amici curiae -- senior advocate S Ramesh Babu and advocate T C Suresh Menon -- before the Division Bench considering a suo motu case about the executive and legislative inaction of the state government in the matter of protection of animal rights.
The report stated that even though the operational modalities of the Kudumbashree Mission are under the scanner, information obtained under the Right to Information Act (RTI) from the Kudumbashree District Mission, Thrissur, reveals that there are four ABC centres functioning. 9303 dogs were sterilized incurring an expense of Rs 2.34 crores to date. Similarly, Kudumbashree District Mission, Pathanamthitta, stated that 7027 dogs were sterilized incurring a cost of Rs 2,100 per dog. In the case of Thrikkakkara municipality where a massacre of community dogs has taken place, there was no data available as to how many dogs were subjected to the ABC programme and what are the expenses incurred for it by the municipality. There was no facility within the municipality for the implementation of the ABC programme.
The displacement of community dogs is not scientific and killing them is not a solution as it will have no impact on migration. Community dogs are territorial creatures and they tend to stick around to their own territorial areas preventing other dogs from migrating to their territory. Sterilization programmes to a large great extent will reduce behavioural concerns apart from reducing the number of community dogs in a scientific way.
The dogs that are sterilized should be kept under observation as per the advice of veterinarians in the shelters and thereafter released at the same place or locality from where they were captured. Sick dogs should be provided with adequate medical care and once they recover, they too should be released at the same place from where they were captured.
It is unfortunate to note that local self-governments are doing little for the establishment of shelters within their territorial limits and it is often NGOs and other organizations which come to the rescue. Every local self-government should ensure that the cost of sterilization and treatment for community dogs which are carried out by NGOs and other organizations are met from the municipal funds, since it is due to the failure on the part of the local self-governments to establish and maintain shelters and sterilization centres, that the services of various organizations are to be availed. This was in spite of the fact that an amount of Rs 2,100 per dog is available for sterilization.
The Brahmapuram ABC centre which was operated by the Kochi Corporation is now defunct. This is a well-equipped unit where there are facilities to perform surgeries on four dogs at a time and it can accommodate 50 dogs at a time. The unit has to be revived and put into operation immediately and even the Thrikkakkara municipality could avail the services of this unit, stated the report.