Kochi: The death of a seven-month-old child, who was worn out A street dog in an apartment in Noida has once again made headlines as to how to deal with the problem of stray dogs.
Last week, the Supreme Court refused Kerala government has appealed to allow killing of stray dogs in the state recorded Rabies has caused 21 deaths – three of which are children – and there have been nearly two million incidents of dog bites this year alone.
Animal rights activists speak of a ‘broken bond’ between humans and animals, and say there is a way to rebuild that bond step by step. According to Kerala-based animal welfare advocate Sally Verma, methods include raising education and awareness, responsible pet rearing, tracking backyard breeders, proper waste management and running effective animal birth control and vaccination programs.
But people in Kerala are taking matters into their own hands.
A recent incident in Noida may ignite a similar reaction from people considering resident welfare associations in the city and elsewhere declared war on stray dogs.
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better life for stray dogs
For many years, Jose Maveli led a crusade to kill stray dogs and ran an ‘Eradication Group of Stray Dogs’. Now, he advocates for a better life for them – partly because the Supreme Court told him to do so.
In 2017, Maveli and his group were facing contempt proceedings for defying a court order against killing stray dogs. maveli issued apologized unconditionally, and said his group would stop doing so.
Since then, Maveli has been trying to advance the cause of ‘rehabilitation’ of dogs. However, animal birth control (ABC) regulations do not recommend relocating stray dogs — because they are territorial — unless the animal is sick or injured.
Maveli says, “I have no problem with stray dogs. “I have a problem when they start hurting people.”
Maveli runs Jansewa Shishu Bhavan, an NGO providing shelter to street children. Their vendetta against street dogs served as protection for the children: stray dogs roamed the herds, often got into fights, injuring each other and becoming aggressive. Maveli said this only increases the animosity towards stray dogs.
“Most people in Kerala recognize the problem and want to do something about it,” he said. But activists like Maneka Gandhi are “friends of the vagabonds and enemies of the people.”
Malliga, a Kudumbashree worker in Aluva, says she fears dog bites. “It is difficult to buy meat on my way home because surely a pack of dogs will follow me,” she said.
“It is not just Kerala’s problem. This is a pan-India problem,” Maveli said. “Dogs are mistreated and become aggressive. That’s the real danger.”
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The Bitter Truth of Dog Bite
Devanand was two and a half years old when a stray dog jumped off the wall and entered his verandah and bit his face. He lost one eye, had three surgeries, and his lips were torn apart forever.
He is now six years old, and still cannot fully close his eyes during sleep.
“We have to give him medicine regularly and make sure his eyes are clean,” says Ravi, father of Devananda, a shopkeeper in Kothamangalam near Kochi. It is really painful to watch passing by. My child is naturally afraid of dogs now.”
According to experts, the solution to aggressive dogs is to sterilize them. Sterilization ensures that stray dogs are vaccinated and vaccinated, which means they will not fight for territory or food.
Radhika Suryavanshi, campaign manager for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said, “fighting between dogs can occur when dogs are competing for a mate or trying to protect their pups, and Rarely, does a person get stuck in the middle.” India. “An effective sterilization program can help prevent this because stray dogs are surgically neutered and then turned into their own territory.”
According to Suryavanshi, over time, as dogs die a natural death, their numbers dwindle – the dog population becomes stable, non-breeding, non-aggressive and rabies-free.
Verma says sterilization programs should be conducted only as per ABC rules and also involve NGOs, animal welfare groups and community feeders otherwise “the welfare of the dogs will be overlooked”. “Unprofessional handling of dogs can lead to an increase in cases of aggression and bites and may not produce the desired results.”
Maveli agrees that professionals need to address the issue. He has hung his shoes. He used to have a dog of his own, but he gave it to him.
And what happened to the dog that had bitten Devanand? “One day it was hit by a car and died,” says Ravi.
“Get hit by a car,” Maveli repeats blindly and shrugs. “Seems accidental.”
(edited by Prashant)