KOCHI: As per a February 18 report of the department of urban affairs, Kochi Corporation is the top performer in implementing animal birth control (ABC) for dogs. Among the six city corporations and 87 municipalities, Kochi is the only city where ABC programme is being effectively implemented. As many as 10,790 strays have been sterilised in the state in which 2,737 are in Kochi. Other cities like Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode are far behind in the implementation of ABC programme. The total number of vaccinated stray dogs in corporations and municipalities is 26,270. It is the Kochi Corporation which set up a modern veterinary hospital and ABC unit for the first time in the state.
The total number of strays identified in Kochi is 10,000, and the city has four trained dog catchers. “Kochi Corporation has set a role model for implementing ABC – anti-rabies vaccination programmes. After setting up the modern ABC unit at Brahmapuram, more than 2000 strays have got sterilised. Ten to 12 dogs are being operated on per day. The process is being conducted in a very advanced manner, complying with the norms of Animal Welfare Board of India,” said Mayor Soumini Jain.
The civic body is expected to complete the sterilisation programme within two years. Dogs caught from different areas are tagged using GPS location system and brought to the vet hospital. After the sterilisation procedure, they will get the anti-rabies vaccination. The animals will be lodged at the aftercare centre after which they will be released at the same place. To identify the sterilised, they will be marked with ear notching. At present, ABC programme is being implemented only in 28 municipalities while the project proposals of 15 more have been approved by the district planning committees concerned. Eleven civic bodies such as Kollam, Maradu, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, Panoor, Piravom, Vadakkancherry, Chengannur, Kondotty, Kothamangalam and Haripad, have not yet had assessed the wandering canine population in their areas.
