Jose Maveli, chairman of Janaseva Sisubhvan and leader of Anti-Stray Dog Movement, Kochi, talks about the stray dog menace in the city.
“We are planning to file a petition before the Supreme Court on the tragic death of Shiluvamma, 65, who succumbed to the deep injuries she sustained in the attack by a large pack of dogs at Kanjirakulam in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Janaseva Sisubhavan will seek the apex court’s immediate intervention in controlling the stray dog menace, which has already turned dangerous and life-threatening. Only the poor and the helpless are getting attacked by dogs. We have learnt that at least 10 cases of dog biting are reported in various government hospitals in Ernakulam daily. The government is not acting tough against the menace despite several incidents in which innocents were severely injured. Animal birth control measures have not yielded any results.
“Who will speak for those on the streets, who live under the threat of stray dogs. They do not even know where to complain and how to stop this menace. Animal lovers should also realise that it’s the human lives that you are all playing with by opposing culling of stray dogs that attack human beings. Are you ready to protect these animals? If you are ready, we will come forward and bring these animals to your doorstep. We are ready to hand over these stray dogs to the local bodies, if the panchayats, municipalities, and corporations are ready to provide them shelters. But no government body has come forward yet to take responsibility of these animals”
(As told to
G. Krishnakumar)
