Bengaluru: By the end of 2017, an online pet management store and Sarvodaya, a government organisation that is also an animal birth control centre, will have put reflective collars around 8,400 stray dogs in the city to save them from being hit by speeding vehicles at night.
It's a long haul. A week into the campaign, the team from the store, Unikorn and Sarvodaya had only collected sponsorship for only 480 collars. "Each collar costs an affordable Rs 50. Even if one person sponsors for about Rs 1000, it will translate into 20 collars," said Ritika Goel, of Bengaluru Opts to Adopt (BOTA). On an average though, 15 road accidents involving strays are reported every week, mainly at night when strays emerge to scavenge for food. "While for a car it's just a nudge on the car bumper, the accident maims the dog for life, if it does not kill him," says Ms. Goel "Most get severe fractures and they spend the rest of their lives dragging themselves around. In most cases, these dogs are put to sleep," she adds. Under the new procedure, dogs are caught by trained dog catchers, sedated and sterilised before being fitted with a secure reflective collar. "Three days after being sterilized, dogs, fitted with reflective collars are released," the activist said.
Dr G Anand, Joint Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry ,explains that the activists were against the release of the dogs on the same day of the surgery instead of he prescribed four.
"But he had to release them the same day of the surgery as we had no place to keep them," he explained.
The procedure was resumed in January and the plan is now to build more ABCs, Anand reveals. "We have proposed four places for dog canals in Mediagarahara in Yelahanaka zone, Shettihalli in Dasarahalli, Dhamarajpet in west zone and Summanahalli in Rajarajeshwarinagar zone.
Currently there are only two functioning ABCs in the city, in Koramangala and near Cantonment Hospital," he said.
