Amendment to law on dog menace sought
Amendment to law on dog menace sought
Deccan Herald
Mindless dumping of waste by illegal meat shops, lax health authorities and a lop-sided law together take the blame for Friday’s tragedy, which claimed the life of eight-year-old Sridevi.
Mindless dumping of waste by illegal meat shops, lax health authorities and a lop-sided law together take the blame for Friday’s tragedy, which claimed the life of eight-year-old Sridevi.
Announcing a compensation of Rs one lakh to the family of the deceased, BMP Commissioner K Jairaj admitted that the stray dog menace in the City needed some hard decisions including amendment to the existing law that prohibits elimination of stray dogs.
“Initial reports suggest that Chandra Layout, like many other localities in the City, has illegal meat shops and lacks proper disposal of waste. Unless people play an active role in the upkeep of hygiene in their neighbourhood, the stray dog menace is here to stay,” warned the Commissioner.
“Despite our efforts to sterilise dogs (ABC programme), we are unable to find a solution to the aggressiveness of these dogs. I personally feel it is time to build public consensus over the issue and decide on elimination or confinement of these dogs,” said Mr Jairaj.
He added that the BMP would soon convene a meeting of the four NGOs working on ABC programme and resident welfare associations to discuss the stray dog menace.
“The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and ABC Act 2001 prohibit killing of these dogs unless proved sick or ferocious. In fact, the dogs have to be let back into the same area from where they were picked up after sterilisation,” said a health official.
The Commissioner has ordered massive sterilisation of stray dogs, promoting dog pounds and ABC programme, elimination of ferocious and diseased dogs, setting up a 24-hour helpline for reporting stray dog menace and collar bands for dogs before releasing the sterilised dogs. However, the BMP has warned the citizens and meat stall owners against feeding stray dogs, provoking stray dogs and improper disposal of waste, especially mutton and chicken.
STATISTICS
From 2000 - 2006
Dogs captured - 2.12 lakh
Dogs sterilised- 1.64 lakh
*Eliminated - 41,000
(*Dogs put to sleep due to rabies, permanent injuries, cancer and ferocious behaviour).
April 05 -March 06
Total no of dog bites 28,006
Stray dog bites 15,363
Rabies vaccines 48,984 vials
Rs 1.5 crore under ABC programme
posted by The Bangalorean @ 1/07/2007 08:55:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Dear Editor,
I believe that animals rights groups are emotional and elitist and are in many ways to blame for the numerous deaths that happen due to street dogs. .
Before you think this biased and offensive email I will explain myself.
* Most of the people who die from rabies are poor while most animal rights activists seem to be "well-intentioned" upper middle class housewives with nothing very much to do. If dogs killed a few hundred wealthy people, it would be a very different story.
* In India more people are killed by rabies than the rest of the world put together. Street dogs are a "human health and safety issue". In malaria epidemics mosquitoes are killed. When plague hit India rats were decimated. When a little girl is torn to pieces by dogs….. mutton shops are blamed! The huge increase in dog numbers seem to be ignored despite the swarms of dogs in neighbourhoods.
* We call ourselves the silicon city, but one is terrified to walk the streets at night. The population of dogs seems to have boomed under the "sterilization " projects. There is nothing to prevent a sterilized dog from attacking you or pulling you off a bike as I have witnessed. Eradication is the only way.
* No advanced modern country in the world allows for dogs that can kill you to wander its streets. It's a cities duty to protect its citizens and not be held to ransom by emotional and elitist groups.
* While dogs can be endearing one cannot forget the thousands of people who die from rabies and attacks every year. Can a city be sued over its failure to protect one from savage animals on its streets? Who is accountable? Can these groups be held so? Maybe someone should file a PIL against the city and these animal rights groups. Too many articles in too many papers on some animal rights issue while children and people are dying from rabies or just wanton attacks.
* These animal rights groups seem to jump on whatever argument supports their seemingly emotional and elitist views. When dogs kill a little girl its because of "mutton shops" even though there is no link to aggressiveness and the eating of raw meat in dogs. On one hand these animal right groups say that one should clean up the garbage and on the other they encourage neighbourhoods to feed these dogs. What double standards.
When thousands of people are dying from rabies and little girls being torn to pieces one wonders whether the intentions of these animal rights groups are honorable or just elitist, selfish, emotional and narrow minded. I think the latter.
Regards,
Arun
Great comment by Arun.
But notice this: from 2000-2006 2.12 Lakh dogs captured.
But in year Apr05-Mar05 :No. of stray dog bites:28000.
Take a simple ratio:
212000/28000
One in every 7 dogs bite?
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