Steni Simon/ June 14
The recent stray dog attacks in Kerala, including the incident of an 11-year-old autistic boy from Kannur district who was allegedly mauled to death by stray dogs on Sunday evening, has once again raised questions on the Animal Birth Control (ABC) activities in Kerala.
As per the latest data released by the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, only 32,061 out of 2.89 lakh stray dogs have been vaccinated against rabies from September 1, 2022 to June 11, 2023. The data also revealed that out of 8.3 lakh domestic dogs in the state, 4.38 lakh have been vaccinated.
Following the stray dog attacks in the state, a decision was taken by the Kerala government to sterilise stray dogs and an amount of Rs 10.36 Crores was earmarked for the programme last year. Due to the public outcry, various departments, including the Local Self Government, Health and Animal Husbandry were roped in for implementing the project. However, opposition by the locals in setting up ABC centres and shelters in various parts of the state have led to an increase in stray dog menace, say the authorities.
“ In Kannur district during the 2017 to 2021 period, two temporary ABC centres were set up- one adjacent to the Government Veterinary Hospital in Pappinisseri and the Koppalam Veterinary Dispensary in Thalassery. During the period, 8,114 dogs were sterilised. However, both the centres were abruptly shut down after public opposition. In October 2022, an ABC centre was set up at Padiyur which is the only one currently functioning in Kannur,” said Dr R Venugopal, deputy director, Kerala state Animal Husbandry department.
He added that earlier the ABC project was implemented from 2017 to 2021 through Kudumbashree where 79,426 stray dogs in the state were sterilised. However, after Kudumbashree lost its recognition, the Animal Welfare Department and the local self-government bodies are jointly implementing the ABC project. At present, only 20 ABC centers are functioning in the state.
According to the 2019 census report, there are 48,055 pet dogs and 23,666 street dogs in Kannur district. “ In the Muzhappilangad panchayat in Kannur where the child died due to stray dog attack, Rs 1.5 lakh has been earmarked for the ABC project in the financial year 2023-24 and the project will commence next month. Unlike the vaccination of owned dogs, the stray dog vaccination process is quite difficult because it requires a lot of manpower. especially for catching dogs apart from the time and money which is also invoved,” says the official.
Speaking about the amended ABC rule, 2022 by the central government, the official said, “ As per the new rule, for an ABC centre to function, it must have all the basic facilities including incinerator and CCTV. Also, the doctor assigned to perform ABC should have performed 2,000 ABC surgeries. Due to this, new doctors cannot be appointed which is making the process difficult. But, implementing the ABC programme will not alone resolve the problem of stray dog menace. More shelters have to be built for the purpose. Currently, most of the shelters are run by animal welfare organisations. For this, a collective approach from the public, peoples’ representatives and authorities is needed,” he said.
Animal welfare activists also point out the failure in proper implementation of ABC programmes as the reason behind the increasing number of stray dog attacks in Kerala. “The authorities should take steps to vaccinate the stray dogs thereby ensuring the health of the public and keeping them away from diseases. Instead of killing the stray dogs, the authorities should take measures to ensure the ABC programmes are implemented in a correct manner. Likewise, shelter homes and food should be provided in order to avoid stray dog attacks,” said Ambili Purackal, one of the founder members and coordinator of Daya, one of Kerala’s oldest animal welfare organisations.
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