Thiruvananthapuram Corporation to decentralise Animal Birth Control programme

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first meeting of the newly elected Health standing committee that will be convened on December 16 will discuss the expansion of its highly inadequate Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme on a priority basis.

During the last month, the corporation has gained independence from NGOs and has started its own ABC programme.

However, the newly started ABC facility at Pettah can spay and neuter only around 15 dogs everyday. As per city corporation estimates, there are around 50,000 stray dogs in the city.

“We now have got two new veterinarians at Pettah veterinary hospital. Still the facilities here are too minimal to make any difference in the stray dog population. We are planning to open different facilities rather than focusing more on Pettah,” said Health Standing Committee Chairman and Pettah Councilor Sreekumar.

He added that recently an injured lady councillor turned up at the corporation after being bitten by stray dogs.

There was a massive hue and cry from councillors of fringe wards that the ABC programmes were ineffective in their wards.

The last council had decided to establish its own facility after NGOs demanded that they should be paid Rs 700 to spay or neuter each dog.

A mobile vetenary clinic from the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode also was functional in the society.

The district reports a huge number of stray dog bites with around 11 people being bitten by rabid dogs at Perumkadavila in the city suburbs.

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