Activists seek more government shelters for strays to tackle dog bites in Kerala

To discuss the possibilities of a stray dog-free Kerala, a group of activists convened a meeting in the wake of rising cases of dog bites in the state.
A canine waits for anti-rabies jab at Aikya Nagar Colony in Kadavanthra, Kochi, Kerala. (Photo | A Sanesh, EPS)
A canine waits for anti-rabies jab at Aikya Nagar Colony in Kadavanthra, Kochi, Kerala. (Photo | A Sanesh, EPS)

THRISSUR: To discuss the possibilities of a stray dog-free Kerala, a group of activists convened a meeting in the wake of rising cases of dog bites in the state.

The meeting decided to exert pressure on the state government to ensure shelter facilities for stray dogs instead of diverting funds for vaccination purposes when the quality of the vaccine itself is questionable.

Inaugurating the meeting, James Muttikkal pointed out that the stray dog menace has been haunting the state for the past several years. However, the state government failed to address it properly.

“In 2016, we organised a protest in Thrissur by felicitating Jose Maveli who offered money for those who killed stray dogs and later got arrested for it. We don’t want to kill stray dogs. But the situation is so grim that our children cannot even walk freely,” he said.

The activists said that instead of spending the funds for organising vaccination drives and giving compensation, the state government should take immediate steps to set up shelter centres for stray dogs. Once the stray dogs are shifted to the shelter centres, we can think about vaccination and sterilisation.

“The current vaccination drive is being conducted just to silence the public uproar. Once the public’s attention is diverted, the situation will go back to how it was,” he said.

The meeting decided to form a state-level organisation for stray dog-free Kerala and hold protests against the inefficiency of the state government in managing the issue.

Boy injured in the stray attack

Last week, another instance of a street dog attack was reported in the state. A 12-year-old boy, Nooras, was riding his bicycle in front of his house in Kozhikode district’s Arakkinaru on Sunday, September 11, when a street dog suddenly jumped up on him and began biting him.

The incident was recorded by a CCTV camera from a nearby house, and shows the dog attacking Nooras while he was in front of his house before Nooras was pulled to safety by his family.

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