Animal welfare activists in Chennai call for better management of street dogs, Corporation to address lapses

Animal welfare volunteers in Chennai met with GCC to address street and community dog issues. GCC proposed a dog census and GPS trackers on vehicles to capture dogs. They also discussed pre/post-op care, Canine Distemper vaccines, and procuring six new dog-catching vehicles. The meeting aimed to reduce animal-human conflict and ensure proper return of sterilised dogs.

Animal Welfare Volunteers of Chennai, on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, participated in a meeting with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), to address their concerns about street and community dogs in the city.

The discussion meeting involved officials from GCC’s Veterinary wing, dog catchers, and members of the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board.

Corporation Commissioner, J. Radhakrishnan, classifying dogs into three categories: street, community, and pet dogs, emphasised the urgent need for a dog census and to address animal-human conflict. He pointed out that one unsterilised dog couple could produce 512 pups. The Corporation, he said, which had conducted a dog census last in 2018, is to join hands with Worldwide Veterinary Service International Training Centre (Wvs ITC) for a new census now, which is to begin by the end of this year.

According to GCC’s Veterinary Officer J. Kamal Hussain, no human rabies deaths have been reported in the past three years. However, there are still approximately 30,000 dog bites recorded annually, including those from domestic dogs, he said.

The volunteers raised concerns about the ineffective return of sterilised dogs to their original locations, leading to the addition of new dogs on the streets, causing disturbances and fear amongst the public, especially in areas like Kilpauk. To tackle these issues, the volunteers proposed the use of GPS trackers on vehicles used to capture dogs. They also advocated for their involvement alongside dog catchers, when necessary.

The meeting also shed light on several problems within the system, including instances of sterilised female dogs getting pregnant, misconduct by dog catchers, and outdated capturing nets that cause harm to the animals.

Additional Commissioner (Health) Shankar Lal Kumawat instructed officials to share contact details of relevant officers with the volunteers, and hold workshops to sensitise catchers on eligible dogs for sterilisation.