Stray dogs boom

Hyderabad: The stray dog population is touching 6 lakh in the city despite the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Program. Experts say that dogs from the city’s outskirts are entering the city due to the availability of abundant food.

The growing population of stray dogs is directly proportional to the amount of food wasted by the citizens.

Experts also state that the sterilisation programmme to an extend is turning dogs ferocious as it is against the nature of littering. The ABC program is not the solution to bringing down the dog population, they say.

According to a calculation earlier reported in this newspaper, Hyderabadis in the GHMC jurisdiction waste food worth Rs 20 crore (approximately) per month as the garbage, which is directly responsible for the increase in stray dog population.

On an average, a stray dog lives on one meal a day, which would cost between Rs 10- Rs 20. Going by the 2011 survey, more than 5 lakh dogs in Hyderabad survive on wasted food worth Rs 20 crore.

An expert who worked on the calculation said, “On an average, each citizen wastes almost Rs 1 on food every day while eateries waste food worth Rs 500 each day. This waste food sustains stray dogs, monkeys and even rodents, and also attracts flies and mosquitoes that act as disease carriers.

These street animals tend to become aggressive and rabid. Prevention is the only cure against rabies. Sterilising strays does not hinder migration from other suburban areas as long as the garbage is generated.”

Not just residential areas but many historical places visited by hundreds of people everyday are facing this menace.