THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If experts are to be believed, the citizens of municipalities and panchayats in Thiruvananthapuram district are more often grievously injured by stray dogs than those live in the capital city. The comparative isolation of victims during attack makes people in suburbs more vulnerable, they say. The intensive ABC programmes that kick-started in October after Siluvamma of Pulluvila in Karimkulam panchayat was mauled by strays. However the authorities have been able to spay or neuter only 40 dogs in a district which has anywhere between 35,000 to 1 lakh dogs.
Apart from the District Veterinary Centre at PMG, ABC programmes are being held at Parassala, Neyyattinkara, Nedumangad, Attingal and Elagamon. The District Veterinary Officer Dr S. Rajendran said that it will take three more weeks for the ABC programmes to be full-fledged with the dozen newly inducted dog catchers complete their training. “Once the programme becomes full-fledged we can spay and neuter at least 600 dogs a month.”
Jose Maveli who took the lead in culling of street dogs in Varkala on Thursday said he would not be surprised if another elderly person or child would be mauled in the municipality soon. “The ABC programme has shown no tangible, convincing results,” he said. Former breeder Manoj Satheesh said the positioning of markets on the road could aggravate the situation. “The road between Vizhinjam and Pulingudi turns into a market by the evening where dogs find a lot of waste material,” he said. “Unless we have planned the markets with proper waste management system, the motorists will always be under threat.”
