Kozhikode: Stray dogs are here since 1900s!

KOZHIKODE: Strays posing a threat to human life is not a new phenomenon in the Malabar region. The struggles of local administrative bodies and veterinarians to resolve the stray dog menace date back to the British Raj. According to old documents in the regional archives here, Kozhikode which was the headquarters of the Malabar region during the British period, had faced the same plight since the 1900s. Countless letters in the archives shed light on the issue.

The Pasteur Institute, Coonoor, Nilgiris, the lone supplier of anti-rabies vaccine to hospitals across south India in those days, had sent countless letters to the erstwhile municipalities here directing them to reduce the stray dog menace. The letters also cited the ‘Nuisance Act’, a municipal law that prevailed in those days empowering local bodies to catch and kill the stray dogs.

In 1912, the Pasteur Institute sent a complaint to then Malabar collector R.B. Wood against the lethargy of municipalities in controlling strays. It also cited the records of dog bite cases in the region which scaled new heights putting the institute in a fix to cater to the high demand for vaccine.   Acting on the letter, Mr Wood ordered the municipalities to nab and kill the stray dogs.

Wearing the nameplate of the owner with a municipal seal was made mandatory for domesticated dogs in those days. Wages for killing a stray dog through ‘clubbing’ was one anna, a currency that existed in Malabar which was 1/16 of a rupee. The trend of killing through clubbing continued till 1913 and later poison chambers and injections were introduced.

The corporation now pays '300 for killing a stray. A daily wager gets around Rs 2000 per day as the demand for trained dog catchers is high. Kozhikode corporation standing committee chairperson (development) P.C. Rajan told DC that the district only had seven trained dog catchers for thousands of stray dogs.