Thiruvananthapuram Corporation plans to rope in Kudumbashree's ABC team

Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is trying to get Kudumbashree's Animal Birth Control (ABC) team on board so that they can increase the pace of ABC surgeries.

The corporation has been able to conduct around ten surgeries a day, but with the support of Kudumbashree team, they hope to raise the rate to 30 a day. For ABC to succeed, the rate at which surgeries are conducted should be higher than the rate at which dogs reproduce. A female dog can have up to three litters a year, and on an average, a litter has about seven pups, which quickly achieve maturity.

In theory, a female dog and its litters can reproduce so much that in six years their family would grow to be 67,000. This number is oft quoted by animal welfare organisations while talking about ABC.

Kudumbashree has a mobile ABC unit and a team dedicated to ABC surgeries. Corporation officials hope that there will be space for post-operative kennels in primary veterinary centres, zonal offices and other Corporation buildings.

Corporation officials say they had tried out other means to increase the rate of surgeries. Other government primary veterinary hospitals in the city were approached to see if they can share some of the load. However, the staff at these hospitals had their hands full, according to them.

The decision to bring Kudumbashree on board has been discussed in the Health Standing Committee meetings. This year's budget for ABC will be revised, so that part of it is used for the Kudumbashree project. It is learnt that the corporation is considering to give Kudumbashree around Rs 30 lakh, out of the Rs 50 lakh set aside for the ABC project.

If the project works out, Kudumbashree will be asked to carry out the surgery of 2000 dogs. They have a fixed charge of Rs 2100 per dog.

Corporation officials say that, for its ABC team, the cost per dog is Rs 1500. However, they are ready to pay the additional amount as it will increase the rate of ABC surgeries.