At times, a large
number of canines could be seen roaming around in my courtyard and adjacent
compound, and other open spaces as well. They ate carcasses, human excreta and
other wastes that were cast ashore on the banks of the Vembanad Backwaters.
These dogs would disappear on a fine morning or they would die after eating
poisoned wastes. Yet another pack of dogs would promptly become visible in the
next day or two. Did someone picked some 6-10 stray canines from the garbage
dumb and open spaces in the crowded Kochi Corporation limits and were being
released in rural areas?
Every night they huddled together and started howling and fighting
each other for food or sex, which created a frustrating din among the people in
the area, who find it unbearable. These dogs would become aggressive especially
during mating season, monsoon, whereas bitches would become aggressive while
trying to protect their younger ones. Large numbers of puppies were delivered
at a time. They attained puberty between 5 to 12 months; and multiplied faster.
One day, while I
was scurrying in my orchard I was surrounded by a pack of dogs. The sturdy cane
deterred them from an attack. On another day my sister, Aleyamma and Augustine
Mampilly, and their children Paul, Jose and Thomman came for a visit.
Strangely, while they were leaving, Thomman found that one each of their shoes
/ chappals were missing. I thought somebody was playing a prank on them. Then I
remembered the stray puppies. We searched the courtyard and the adjacent compound.
They got their shoes / slipper back but a few of them were in a dismal
condition.
These stray dogs
chased fowls and ducks and devoured them. At times I have noted pack of dogs
chasing away two and three wheelers on the main road and this contributed to traffic
accidents as well. They bit people especially young school children, who got
scary and run on seeing the dogs. It is difficult to discern whether a dog was
rabies-infected or not. Some of these dogs might be carriers of rabies showing
no symptoms, but a few manifested symptoms like madness - sticking out their
tongue oozing saliva and barked unnecessarily. To avoid risk of life, the
victims of dog bites were usually taken to the General Hospital at Ernakulam to
arrange for anti-rabies vaccines. The villagers said that often vaccines might
not be available and therefore the bit victims were taken to Co-operative
Medical College at Kalamassery, on the other end of the city for 15 days
consecutively to administer the painful anti-rabies injection around the naval
region. In the wake of frequent incidents of dog bites on children taking place
in our village, the villagers were agitated against the local authority,
Kumbalam Panchayath, for their inaction to ward off the menace of street dogs.
Eradicating stray
dogs appeared to be a vexing problem for the local authorities and
governments. It had become a hot topic of discussion in Kerala after
animal rights activist and union minister Smt. Maneka Gandhi sought an
explanation from the Muvattupuzha Municipality for killing a stray dog.
The stray dog
menace persisted in every city, town and village in India. There were news
reports of children getting brutally injured with dog bites on their shoulder,
scalp, leg, hand and face. The situation is alarming. The animal lovers shall
not be mute witnesses to these distressing episodes. The silence of the
protectors of dogs and other animals is disgusting. The golden rule is that
there is no golden rule. The executive and the parliament should not hesitate
to withdraw or annul or reverse or even amend the law, if the change of
circumstances warrants it.
In a writ petition
filed before the High Court of Kerala, the petitioner therein pointed out that
the local authorities are bound to take action in accordance with the Kerala
Municipalities Act or Panchayath Act to abate the menace of dogs. Section 438
of the Act empowered the Corporation to seize stray dogs in the area. The
provision of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 has also provided
for tackling the menace. Section 11(3) (b) of the Act enabled the civic body to
take steps for killing of stray dogs. The petitioner also pointed out that “the
right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution contemplated living a
dignified life without the fear of stray dog biting.” When placed against the
animal rights, “the human’s right will prevail over animal rights,” the
petitioner said. It was also pointed out that a Division Bench had ruled in
2006 that “the right to live was fundamental right and it shall take precedence
over dog rules.” However, SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
points out the dogs are an important part of the ecosystem and they control the
pest and rodent population.
It is pertinent to
note that while passing the impugned provisions of the PCA Act, the parliament
and the executive did not consider the Rule of Mother Nature, “the survival of
the fittest.”
The High Court held
in 2006 that for the sake of human safety, dangerous stray dogs could be
killed. However, the Supreme Court of India had on January 23, 2009 stayed
Bombay High Court judgement which had allowed municipal authorities in
Maharashtra to kill stray dogs causing “nuisance.”
SOLUTION: Those who rear pet dogs should be directed to
take a licence from the local authority and to insist that their dogs be
vaccinated against rabies and be provided with a tag and should not be allowed
to stray on the street.
Animal Welfare
Board of India (AWBI) - Jaipur model sterilization and vaccination of stray
dogs, both males and females, make them less aggressive and, therefore, the
number of dog-bite incidents comes down. To deal with the increasing incidents
of dog bites, skilled dog-catchers be engaged for culling, and increase stray
dog sterilization capacity. Therefore, the government has to provide additional
infrastructural development and appoint more veterinary doctors. Each
vaccinated dog should be given an identification mark and proper statistics
should be maintained.
The general hospitals should be provided with sufficient quantities of
anti-rabies vaccines for treatment of dog-bite cases free of cost. I understand
that every day around 50 dog bite victims approach the General Hospital at
Ernakulam.
Maintaining clean surroundings in all the commercial as well as
residential areas is significant and proper arrangement is needed for garbage
disposal. The municipal corporations and other local bodies should be directed
to give strict instructions to officials of private hospitals, and owners of
hotels, restaurants, poultry farms, and butcher shops to stop dumping waste
material and garbage in public places especially roadsides, to avoid gathering
of stray dogs.
The public should
encourage dog lovers like Smt. Prasanna, a senior sales manager in P&B
MetLife Insurance India Limited at Palarivattom, a colleague of Sally, my wife.
She used to cull out aged, sick, maimed and abandoned stray dogs, and rehabilitated
and neatly maintained them in two special houses one at Panampilly Nagar and
the other at Kaloor in Kochi City; a highly appreciable humanitarian service
and a sacrifice indeed.
The central government should not hesitate to withdraw or annul or
reverse or even amend the law protecting the life of dogs, since the change of
circumstances warrants it.
UPDATE 5/11/2015: The High Court of Kerala, while disposing a
number of writ petitions by a judgment on November 4, 2015, stressed the need
to control the stray dog menace in the state and permitted the local
authorities to silence the critically ill, fatally injured and rabid dogs as
per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules 2001. The court observed that the
dogs roaming in public have to be captured for vaccination and sterilization
which is the obligation of the local bodies with the aid of the Animal Welfare
Board. The court made it clear that all stray dogs are not required to be killed
and that killing has to be undertaken by the local authorities only in
accordance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the
provisions of the Rules 2001.
