Kerala is reeling under the stray dog menace as incidents of dog bites and culling of the animal have sent shock waves across the country. Let's decode why Kerala is killing stray dogs.
Increasing Dog bites
The state has long been struggling with the issue of stray dogs. This year till date, around 1,00,000 people have suffered stray dog bites and 21 rabies deaths have been reported. The matter earned the spotlight when a 12-year- old girl, Abhirami, died on 5 September of rabies after suffering the bite in August. Her death sparked demands for stringent measures against stray dogs.
Killings of stray dogs
Due to the increase in such incidents, Kerala people have reportedly taken up arms to kill stray dogs. Horrifying visuals showing brutal killings of several stray dogs have gone viral on social media. Moreover, dozens of stray dogs were reported dead allegedly due to poisoning in the Southern state.
Humans Vs Dogs
Some of the reasons for the rising stray dog population are poor management of waste, inadequate sterilization of stray dogs and shortage of the anti-rabies vaccine. The Animal Birth Control Project, initiated by the animal husbandry department, has achieved sterilization of only 20,000 dogs since 2016,
highlighting the failure of the programme.
What is the government doing?
The state government has decided to conduct a mass vaccination programme for a month from September 20 to October 20. The state government will also start ABC (Animal Birth Control) sterilization centres in all block panchayats in Kerala.
Minister for local self-government MB Rajesh said that shelters would be arranged at the panchayat level to accommodate stray dogs. Vacant buildings will be used for this purpose. The government is also considering steps to immediately remove garbage from the streets which facilitates the rapid stray dog menace in the state.
Kerala govt. to seek apex court
After a high-level meeting, the Kerala government decided to seek the permission of the Supreme Court to kill stray dogs infected with rabies and also the violent dogs. The SC had sought Kerala's recommendation regarding the stray dog menace, creating panic among people. The apex court has posted the matter for hearing on September 28.
Dog lovers are strictly against it!
Animal rights activists are up in arms against the Kerala government's decision to cull aggressive and rabies-infected dogs. Some of the activists have taken the matter to the Supreme Court, opposing the culling of the dogs and providing a set of alternate proposals which can help in resolving the issue.
This content is inspired from the Instagram Post of Barely Opinionated
0 Comments