Civic body launches ABC to get rid of canine menace

Rourkela: Canine menace in the Steel City has forced the civic authorities to launch a drive to control its growing population. An action plan has already been drawn up for the purpose.

Official sources have put the number of stray dogs in the city at around 16,000 which are causing a lot of problems for pedestrians and bikers, particularly at night. Recalling an incident, Trilochan Mathan, a resident of Koel Nagar said, “Dogs rule the roost at night. If you are returning home at night, they will chase you even though you are riding a bike.”

Cases of dog bites are regular features in the city at night. To get rid of this menace, the civic body has implemented Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. 

“Movement of stray cattle and dogs on busy roads is creating traffic problem, even leading to road accidents on many occasion, especially at night. Rising incidents of dog bite is also a matter of serious concern,” informed Prasana Maharana, Nodal Officer of the ABC programme.

For the ABC programme, the Centre has sanctioned Rs. 15 lakh to the Rourkela Municipality. Under the scheme, kennels, instruments and transport are made available, besides vaccination of dogs against rabies and skin infections.

Though kennels for ABC programme at Panposh Sub-divisional Veterinary office (SDVO) was launched officially on August 31, the operation on sterilizing the dogs was carried out only on November 8. Till date, 32 dogs have been sterilized with each sterilization costing Rs. 500, informed Prasana Maharana, a veterinary officer.

Six staffs have been trained to handle street dogs while a kennel has been set up under the ABC programme at SDVO complex to house 20 dogs, said Maharana, adding that two more veterinary doctors have been entrusted with execution of all activities- catching stray dogs, vaccination and sterilization and transportation of ensnared dogs.

The programme aims at sterilizing around 70 per cent of the street dogs and subjecting the rest 30 per cent to birth control and in maintaining ecological balance. In the first phase, about 32 dogs from Madhusudan Marg, Chhend and some other parts of municipality, were sterilized, added Maharana. The authorities are planning another operation theatre and 80 more kennels.

“The dogs are put at clean kennels after giving them a hygienic bath. After that day we off-fed water then food and carry out the surgery after administering anaesthesia," said Maharana. "The ovary and uterus from the female dogs are removed where as vasectomy is done in case of male dogs," Maharana added. "During the sterilization process, necessary vaccination is also given to the dogs to take care of their perpetual problems like worming, skin infection and rabies," he said.

"The dogs after recovery from surgery would be released at the place from where they were lifted," said the veterinary officer.

Another important thing for population explosion of dogs is due to the littered food materials in the street. As dogs are counted as scavengers and the number of crow and vultures are diminishing year after year. So these canines fed on these food materials thereby increasing its population.

On other aspects, he said dogs population can be totally diminished but it can’t be because of three factors as these as counted as pet animals by culture, secondly religious background not to kill animals and lastly killing animals is against the law. More importantly an isolation ward is required to be built here in order to keep these rabies dogs separate. As rabies dogs are very dangerous for mankind because the dog may die in 20 days but the person infected might not recover from the disease even after having many check-ups.