Date:13/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/13/stories/2007031317360300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Birth control vital to combat feral dog menace

Staff Reporter

Animal Welfare Board allots Rs. 4.3 crore

CHENNAI : Implementing Animal Birth Control (ABC) and administering anti-rabies vaccine will solve the community dog menace, said V.N. Appaji Rao, vice-chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India.

Talking to presspersons about the increase in community dog menace in the suburbs, Dr. Appaji Rao said that in 1996, when a similar situation prevailed in the city, on a trial basis the ABC programme coupled with the programme of administering anti-rabies vaccine was launched.

The programme yielded good results and brought down the number of dog bite cases in the city.

Statistics showed that the number of dog bite victims had come down to five during 2005, which was about 140 before the launch of the programme, Dr. Appaji Rao said.

Recently the State Government had issued orders to implement the ABC and anti-rabies vaccine administration programmes in 50 municipalities and five Corporations.

The Government, before announcing the programme, had conducted a survey of the community dog population in the State.

A common opinion among people was that killing community dogs would help reduce dog bite cases, which was not correct, Dr. Appaji Rao said. "Once a few community dogs are killed in a residential locality, a vacuum will be created and it will be filled by another group of community dogs."

The Animal Welfare Board of India had earmarked nearly Rs. 4.3 crore for implementing the ABC programme in various parts of the country.

Whenever non-governmental organisations approached the organisation for financial assistance, depending upon the requirements funds would be released to them, he said.

Sterilisation

Answering a question on how to bring community dogs for sterilisation, Dr. Appaji Rao said that in most places the animal welfare activists, who fed them, helped in bringing them to a shelter. After sterilisation, the dog's ear would be punched.

Male dogs would be released a few hours after the operation and female dogs would be kept in animal shelters for about 48 hours and then released back to the road from where they were picked up, he said.

Talking about the State Government's order, Dr. Appaji Rao said the authorities planned to employ nearly 700 veterinarians. Before launching the programme, they would be trained in sterilising the dogs, he added.