THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Social activists and animal husbandry experts have called for change in the attitude of the media towards the street dog issue and use of language that expresses the situation accurately instead of whipping up sensation.
Participating in a seminar on ‘Human-dog conflict’ organisd by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation (FIAPO) here on Thursday, they pointed out that usages such as ‘stray dog menace’ actually distorted the fact that proliferation of street dog population is the fallout of indiscriminate waste disposal practices. "Media plays an important role in shaping public attitudes, so when we use phrases such as ‘stray dog menace’, it will have cynical effect on readers", the speakers said.
Participating in the discussion, in which several journalists and animal lovers took part, veterinary surgeon Annie Varghese pointed out that dogs do not attack to kill or to maim. Dogs attack humans only when they feel threatened or when there is a perceived intrusion into their ‘territory’ or to protect their offsprings. Since the locations that the street dogs currently consider their ‘territories’ have increased manifold on account of the people’s habit of dumping waste in public places, there are more such attacks being reported.
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According to her, the Animal Birth Control programme is a better remedy than culling strays as it reduces the aggression in strays resulting from hormonal changes during breeding season. It would also act as an effective method to control the over population of strays. During 2016-17, around 19,250 strays have been sterilised in the state, Ms. Varghese said.
(EOM)
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