(IN) Surprise, surprise....

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The Hindu Friday, June 08, 2007

 

 

Mysore civic body in pursuit of stray animals

After dogs, it is the turn of pigs and monkeys to

trouble residents

Staff Correspondent

 

MYSORE: The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) appears to

be having its hands full with the task of trapping not

only street dogs but also stray pigs and monkeys that

are creating a nuisance for the people.

 

Barely a few weeks after launching a drive to catch

stray dogs after a rise in cases of dog bites in a few

localities, stray pigs and monkeys had become a

menace, forcing the civic body to stretch its limited

resources and deploy personnel to catch these animals

as well. In the first week of June, MCC personnel,

assisted by expert animal-catchers, were found

pursuing street dogs, stray pigs and monkeys in

various lanes and by-lanes of the City and trapping

them.

 

" So far we have trapped about 6,000 dogs, 514 pigs and

25 monkeys from different parts of the city, " MCC's

Health Officer Nagaraj told The Hindu . Though the

operation to trap monkeys has been suspended for the

present as the monkey-catchers have taken a few days'

leave, the drive against stray dogs and pigs has been

continuing relentlessly.

 

The animal-catching spree began in March this year

after five children who were playing in a lane in

Sunnadakeri in Mysore were bitten by a pack of street

dogs. A few weeks later, street dogs bit seven persons

in Ghousianagar, forcing the authorities to intensify

the dog-catching campaign.

 

While diseased and rabid dogs were being put to sleep,

the healthy ones were being released into the locality

after sterilisation at the Government Veterinary

Hospital here.

 

Even as the authorities were grappling with the street

dogs, the stray pig menace raised its head when a

five-year-old boy was mauled in Kesare here.

 

The authorities immediately invited a 30-member team

of expert pig-catchers from Madurai to trap the

animals roaming in the residential localities of

Mysore. Amid protests from pig-rearers, the expert

catchers went around Mysore city using lassos and nets

to trap the pigs.

 

The city corporation, however, has not publicly

disclosed how and where the trapped pigs will be let

go.

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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