The Deccan Chronicle 25.11.2010
When man bites dog... who let things come to this pass?Nov. 24: The bizarre poisoning of 20 stray dogs to death in the city has shocked Bengalureans. While there is obvious irritation with the strays as dog bites are being reported with increasing frequency in the city, very few would like to see them die this way. The poisoning of the strays is being attributed to the growing frustration of people in some localities with the BBMP for failing to control their proliferation in the city.
Some animal rights activists blame the lack of seriousness in implementing the Catch, Neuter , Vaccinate and Release programme for the growing number of the strays in different localities and feel this may have triggered the poisoning. “It’s time the programme to limit reproduction of strays is enforced seriously for the good of both the people and the dogs” says Sujaya Jagadish, trustee, Save Our Animals Charitable Trust.
The fact that this was not the first incident of its kind in the city supports the theory that a new trend is emerging of people taking things into their own hands where the strays are concerned.
“Similar incidents have been reported in HRBR Layout. This mass poisoning of dogs is a shame on society,” says Dr Pervez Peeran, joint director, animal husbandry, BBMP. The department has urged the police to keep a strict watchout for any move to poison the strays in other areas and put a stop to it.
The police could get help in curbing the practice as not all people want the stray menace to be dealt with this way. Take Aarti Sinha of Jayanagar, who although fed up with the strays in her locality, certainly has no wish to have them mass poisoned.
“There are a pack of strays in my area and at times I seriously wish them dead so that I don’t have to stop my children from going out to play, but I would never want anyone to poison them in this cruel fashion,” she says.
Geetha Sheshadri of Koramangala 1st Block agrees that mass poisoning of dogs is not the answer to the strays’ menace, although she too is frustrated with the BBMP’s lack of success in controlling their population.
“It is definitely not the right thing to do. But if people are upset about the strays terrorising their neighbourhoods the BBMP and the animal rights groups must be blamed for not carrying out the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme seriously enough,” she feels, pointing out that the strays are a real threat to children, pedestrians and two-wheeler riders, especially at night.
The BBMP obviously needs to do some soul searching to find out why it is unable to control the population of the strays and take corrective steps, so that people will have some faith in its capabilities and not try to step in and do whatever they think is right, with disastrous consequences.
