The coastal areas in the district are reeling under stray dog menace. “Large packs of stray dogs are roaming the streets at Valiyangadi, Halwa Bazaar, Kuttichira, Vadiyil, K.P. Lane and Gujarati Street. Some dogs even enter homes if the doors are open. Children, especially those going to madrasas early in the morning, are the most affected,” said P. Mohammedali, president of Mishkal Residents and Welfare Association. He said that a girl in the locality had been bitten by a stray dog a few months ago.
The Kozhikode Corporation had conducted a few Animal Birth Control (ABC) camps a few years ago, except in the coastal areas. “We cannot organise such camps any more. Earlier, the camps were conducted by veterinary surgeons from the Veterinary College in Wayanad. But now they are not available,” said Development Standing Committee chairperson of the Corporation P.C. Rajan. He added that opening the Corporation’s ABC Centre was the only solution to the issue.
However, the opening of the Corporation’s Animal Birth Control centre and a multi-specialty veterinary hospital at Poolakkadavu is getting delayed on technical grounds. The Corporation was planning to open it by September. The construction work of the hospital has been completed, but electrification works are still going on. “The machinery for the hospital will be purchased only after the electrification is completed, hopefully by December,” Mr. Rajan said.
The water treatment plant and incinerator on the hospital premises have to be set up by Suchitwa Mission. Moreover, the authorities are still awaiting government sanction for the appointment of staff in the hospital. “However, we can make temporary appointments now,” he added.
Veterinary officer K.K. Baby, who is in charge of the Corporation’s ABC project, said the hospital would be operational by January. The hospital will offer 24-hour consultancy service and will attend any sort of veterinary emergency. It will also carry out survey, surgeries and vaccination of stray dogs under the ABC project, besides periodically carrying out on-site vaccination drive for the dogs that have already been vaccinated.
