While several local bodies in the State continue to grapple with a ‘stray dog crisis’, Kollam district panchayat has launched a project to mitigate the menace. In a first of its kind initiative, ferocious packs will be moved to the stray dog shelter nearing completion inside the 106-acre hi-tech dairy farm at Kuriyottumala. Equipped to accommodate around 1,000 stray dogs, the shelter has been built in consultation with the Animal Husbandry Department.
“It’s a novel initiative and we don’t have any model to fall back on. Though the construction has been completed, experts wanted some additional facilities to prevent any possible complications. At present, we are installing extra cages and provisions for feeding, while the shelter will be functional in a couple of months,” says district panchayat president P.K. Gopan.
The panchayat is also setting up an Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre near the facility and all the dogs will be neutered, vaccinated and quarantined before shifting them to the shelter. “We have identified some stray hotspots, places that have reported highest number of dog bite cases. Aggressive dogs from these parts will be captured and shifted to the shelter,” adds the president. While the shelter is located at a secluded part of the farm, the enclosure can be widened in future as per the number of dogs. “In order to prevent dog-to-dog aggression, we will have to keep some dogs separate. Proper kennelling is important and at the moment works are going on in this direction,” says Dr. D. Shine Kumar, chief veterinary officer, District Veterinary Centre.
Since strays do not relish dog food, a diet – that includes meat and fish – has been prepared for them. “The dogs need to be given rice and it will be cooked in the kitchen attached to the shelter,” the veterinary officer adds. While injured strays left at various veterinary centres will be moved to the shelter after treatment, the facility will not accept pets. “This is not a facility to abandon your aged or ailing pets. We are also planning to conduct adoption drives in every six months to find the dogs responsible owners. No other local body in Kerala has taken up such a project,” he adds.