North Chennai continues to be infested with stray dogs. The situation has become worse after the recent Corporation expansion say health department officials.
The number of stray dog caught per month has in fact doubled in the past three months. During November 2011 as many as 1050 dogs were caught and it surged to an all-time high of 1950 in January 2012 as the civic body is now covering the suburbs that were included in the city Corporation limit.
“We are taking all efforts to ensure that the stray dog menace is kept under check across the city, particularly in north Chennai.
The Corporation has planned to procure six dog-catching vehicles to intensify the drive”, said Corporation veterinary officer Mr P. Dayalan.
Mayor Mr Duraisamy is keen on a stray dog-free society and the charges for catching dogs was recently revised from Rs 25 to Rs 50, he said, adding that the Corporation was in touch with three NGOs to perform Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes for dogs.
After ABC, most of these dogs will be released back in to the same area from where they were picked as per the Animal Welfare Board norms; the idea is to prevent further breeding of stray dogs. At the same time, few dogs with rabies and zoonotic diseases are culled, sources said.
“There is an incidence of rabies in greater Chennai as suburbs like Chitlapakkam and Pallavaram supports a good population of stray dogs and the dogs can migrate from one area to another”, said Mr N.A. Kumar, a civic activist based in Selayur.
It may be noted that two years ago a study by the Madras Veterinary College had indicated presence of rabies among the dogs in Perambur,Thiruvottiyur and Manali areas.
