KOCHI: As cases of stray dog bites are getting reported from all parts of the state, Better Kochi Response Group ( BKRG), an NGO, has come up with an out-of-the-box solution to rid Kochi of the menace of stray dogs catch the dogs in and around the city and put them in an uninhabited island near Kochi, where they can be sheltered and looked after.
“Take an uninhabited island (there are few near Marine Drive). One of them is Deepu Sagar island, which lies between Bolgatty and Willingdon islands. It is uninhabited,” said S Gopakumar, president of BKRG. There should be some shelters and fences using GI sheets and wire nets on the island.
Water arrangements should be done through underwater pipes and electric connections should also be made available on the island, he said, in a note. While food dispensing areas are to be prepared using high finish tiles, cleaning arrangements must be made using high-pressure water jets. The island should also have a small space for a vet to examine dogs for any need.
“Concentrate on catching female dogs first, and test them for any infection or rabies. Bring all these female dogs first and leave them there. Make sure they get water and food without fail. Slowly you introduce male dogs too into the island after they are sterilised through the ABC programme,” Gopakumar said. Finally, the island will have male and female dogs but the number will not increase since the male dogs are sterilised.
Food for the dogs can be arranged from leftovers from hotels nearby. He said the government should provide boats and other arrangements for transporting food to the island. Stray dogs normally live only 10 to 12 years and have a natural death which means the entire street dog problem can be wiped out within 10 years or less. A crematorium for dogs should be built on the island itself, as per the proposal.
After the ‘dog island’ is developed, strict rules and controls for keeping pet dogs have to be implemented.
According to BKRG, the government is trying to catch dogs on the streets and take them to the ABC programme for sterilisation. “The programme is going very slow and we will not reach anywhere since the dogs multiply very fast,” he said.
“Since the dogs are left back on the streets, the problem of getting rabies does not diminish. This also does not prevent dogs from getting violent and attacking human beings and animals,” he said. “Though the programme sounds crazy, it is a workable scheme at least for Kochi and dogs will have a better life with good food, water and plenty of open spaces,” Gopakumar said.
4 more incidents of stray dog attack in Kozhikode
Kozhikode: In four separate incidents of stray dog attacks on Sunday, four children were injured in the district. In Arakkinar, Nuras, a 7th Class student of MM Higher Secondary School, was bitten by a stray dog on the face and thighs. The incident occurred while she was on the way to play with her friends. Vaikha, a 6th Class student of Jaya Rani CBSE School, Balussery, also got injured in a stray dog attack while she was playing outside her mother’s house.
Sajuddin, 33, of Arakkinar, got bitten while trying to save a child from the street dogs. Both the child and Sajuddin sustained minor injuries and were rushed by the local residents to the Kozhikode Beach General Hospital for treatment. In Vilangad, a 12-year-old boy, Jayasurya, was attacked while returning from a shop near Vilangad petrol bunk around 11am. It was after his younger brother threw stones, that the dog ran away. The boy who sustained minor bites on the thighs was immediately taken to the Nadapuram Government Hospital, where he was administered two doses of rabies prevention vaccine.