Kerala’s biggest animal shelter will come up at Kuriyottumala in the district as part of a comprehensive project launched by the Kollam district panchayat to control the stray dog menace.
While a mass drive will be conducted to vaccinate pets, spot vaccination of stray dogs and Animal Birth Control (ABC) camps will be organised across the district. Along with other measures, early neutering of street dogs through a bloodless process will also be carried out.
Campaign on
“The aim is to make all 68 grama panchayats in the district rabies-free. The zero-rabies campaign to vaccinate around 82,000 pet dogs and 28,000 cats in the district has already started. One lakh doses of vaccine have been procured for this purpose and vaccinated pets will be issued licences,” said district panchayat president Sam K. Daniel. The project will be jointly implemented by the Animal Husbandry department and the district panchayat.
While immediate steps will be taken to clear garbage from the 19 stray dog hotspots in the district, the project also offers an opportunity for animal lovers to adopt puppies. The mass vaccination camps will be held at government veterinary hospitals and ward-level centres. At present 12 surgery centres have been set up for the ABC programme at Punukannur, Kalluvathukkal, Adichanallur, Kuzhumathicaud, Sasthamcotta, Pathanapuram, Panmana, Chirakkara, Venchemb, Chitara, Kadakkal, Thevalappuram and Kollam. A total of eight veterinary surgeons and 32 dog handlers have been appointed for implementing the programme.
By October 20
The district administration plans to complete the vaccination drive by October 20 and the vaccinated stray dogs will be shifted to shelters. Apart from block-level centres, two local bodies can jointly find land and construct animal shelters. Civic body officials have been asked to treat stray dog menace as a serious social issue. People’s representatives have been instructed to work along with the Animal Husbandry department and ensure that pets in every household are vaccinated.
