Bengaluru: BBMP to impose common guidelines in societies for managing stray dogs, feeder cards to be issued! | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru’s RWAs are set to adopt a unified guideline for managing stray dogs, addressing concerns from pet owners and dog caretakers. The BBMP’s animal husbandry department will distribute a circular aligning with ABC Rule of 2023 and directives from AWBI and the Karnataka Government, expected next week.

BPCL will now impose common guidelines for societies in managing stray dogs.
(Representational image)

Bengaluru: Soon, Bengaluru’s Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) will stick to a unified guideline for managing stray dogs within and near their gated communities. Following numerous grievances from pet owners and community dog caretakers regarding RWAs imposing unauthorised regulations, the animal husbandry department of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has opted to distribute a circular to RWAs across the city. Expected to be issued in the upcoming week, the circular is being crafted in alignment with the regulations outlined in the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rule of 2023, alongside various directives issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the Karnataka Government over time.

“Despite spreading awareness around rules such as ABC, BBMP continues to receive several complaints where compassionate citizens and animal welfare activists are being harassed by their neighbours, RWAs, and others. There is a lot of misunderstanding among residents and RWAs too. We recently had a meeting with animal activists and NGOs and they expressed these concerns. These are some of the reasons we have decided to issue a circular with common rules,” the Banglore Mirror quoted a senior official from the animal husbandry department saying.

‘Dog feeders wont be harassed now’

It should also be noted that to address incidents of feeder harassment, BBMP, in collaboration with Sahavarthin Animal Welfare Trust, is in the process of distributing feeder cards to all individuals who provide food to animals throughout Bengaluru. The goal is to identify areas lacking feeders and to support feeders in alleviating the financial and physical burdens of solo feeding. This initiative aims to enhance awareness and foster community responsibility in these areas.

The Banglore Mirror reported Sadhana Hegde, founder of Sahavarthin Animal Welfare Trust saying- “Through the cards, we want to also make resolving feeder harassment cases easy. We are working on consolidating feeders across Bengaluru with the help of BBMP apart from reaching out to citizens through physical awareness sessions at public places across zones.”