The Hindu 13.01.2011
BBMP sings same old song about ABC scheme
Says it has 20 new packages budgeted at Rs. 4 crore to tackle stray dog menace in the city
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?: Despite crores spent on animal birth control
programmes, the canine population in the city has only been rising. —
FILE PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN
The appalling mauling to death of 18-month-old Prashant by a pack of
stray dogs in Bagalur early Wednesday has again underscored the need for
effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) and
Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) programmes in the city.
Though Bagalur does not come under the Bruhat Bangalore
Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits, the toddler’s shocking killing brings
back to memory similar deaths of deaths of eight-year-old Sridevi and
four-year-old Manjunath in 2007.
BBMP’s Joint Director (Animal Husbandry) Parvez Ahmad
Piran said this year, the BBMP has 20 new packages budgeted at Rs. 4
crore to tackle the stray dog menace.
NGOs’ role
Earlier, the ABC programme was implemented by three
non-governmental organisations — Compassion Unlimited Plus Action
(CUPA), Karuna and Animal Rights Fund (ARF) — under 15 packages.
However, after the number of packages was increased,
eight non-governmentalorganisations have been entrusted to work on the
ABC and ARV programmes. The BBMP has set an annual target of covering at
least 80,000 dogs.
“By covering more dogs in a short period of time, we
hope to effectively tackle the menace. If the pace is maintained for at
least three years, we will see some definite results,” he said.
As per a 2007 census, the stray dog population in the
city was around 1.83 lakh, and pet dog population 1.43 lakh. A recent
census estimated the stray population at around one lakh now.
Conceding that this cannot be an exact figure, Mr. Piran
said, “This is the official figure. However, this is far from being
accurate. According to our estimates, the dog population (including pet
dogs) is around three lakh.”
Saraswathi N., who lives in J.P. Nagar, believes the number is much more.
“There are puppies all over the place, which grow into
ferocious dogs living in packs. If the ABC is effective, there shouldn’t
be puppies in the first place,” she said, adding that she fears for her
young daughter and her friends when they play on the road in front of
her house.
Vishnu M., a Padmanabhanagar resident, believes there is
corruption in the programme’s implementation. “They took away four dogs
and returned them with clipped ears. To our great surprise, they went
on littering. Clearly, they were not sterilised.”
Sudarshan panel report
After Sridevi’s and Manjunath’s deaths, an audit into
the ABC programme was ordered by then BBMP Commissioner K. Jairaj. A
team of experts led by M.K. Sudarshan, professor and head of Community
Medicine, KIMS, which conducted the audit, concluded that the ABC
programme was being implemented haphazardly and unscientifically.
The four non-governmental organisations — including
Krupa Loving Animals, Karuna, ARF and CUPA, who were carrying out the
programme since 2000 — came in for scathing attack.
Recommendations
Dr. Sudarshan recommended several modifications to the
ABC programme, suggesting that after neutering, the stray dogs should be
released as “guardian dogs” by handing them over to animal lovers,
NGOs, residents’ welfare organisations or individuals for adoption,
besides collaring them for recognition.
The study team suggested that the ARV be administered
twice in a gap of three weeks at the first instance and thereafter once a
year. Records must be properly maintained and dogs in communities
regularly monitored.
The civic body should create stray dog-free zones at public places.
Cost-effective intra-dermal rabies vaccination for
dog-bite victims in BBMP hospitals, compulsory licensing of pet and
guardian dogs, amendment to ABC rules, setting up of dog shelters and
promotion of adoption of dogs were some of the other recommendations.
