Kudumbashree workers being trained to catch stray dogs

Batches of 15 candidates are being imparted the training on Mondays and Tuesdays

District panchayat vice president Shailaja Begum (left) interacting with Kudumbashree workers who are being trained to catch dogs.

A training programme in catching dogs for Kudumbashree workers has begun as part of tackling stray dog-related issues in the district.

Batches of 15 candidates are being imparted the training on Mondays and Tuesdays. The programme is led by the Livestock Managament Training Centre (LMTC), Kudappanakunnu, in collaboration with the Animal Husbandry Department, Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat and the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

District panchayat vice president Shailaja Begum, who inaugurated the training sessions, said strays would be trapped by dog catchers and administered the anti-rabies vaccine. It was estimated that there were around 50,000 stray dogs in Thiruvananthapuram district, she said.

Once vaccinated and specially marked for identification, the animals would be released, district animal husbandry officer T.M. Beena Beevi said.

The Kudumbashree dog catchers were being trained at the LMTC and the Animal Birth Control Centre at Pettah. In the first stage, the training was being imparted to candidates who were part of dog-catching teams before. The sessions also covered the legislations pertaining to animal welfare.