(IN) VSPCA re dog sterilisation

May 5, 2008

Article from Deccan Newspaper

GVMC to sterilise dogs

Visakhapatnam, May 2: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation in

association with the Animal Welfare Board of India and Visakha Society for

Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals (VSPCA), an NGO, has decided to sterilise

10,000 stray dogs this year.

The corporation will sign a formal MoU with these two bodies shortly which was

approved by the GVMC standing committee on Thursday.

According to a census conducted by the Animal Welfare Board, the number of stray

dogs in the city was 60,000 in 2004 and after merger of 32 panchayats in the

corporation to form Greater Visakha, the number could be close to one lakh. The

new census report would be released shortly.

The Animal Welfare Board was funding the animal birth control (ABC) programme

since 2001 and the corporation joined the programme last year. For this year an

amount of Rs 395 per dog would be spent for catching and sterilisation and the

Animal Welfare Board and GVMC would jointly fund for 5,000 dogs each. Both the

organisations would spend Rs 44 lakh, said the veterinary officer of municipal

corporation, Dr V. Sunil Kumar.

Welcoming the decision of the corporation, the founder president of VSPCA, Mr

Pradeep Nath, said so far they had sterilised 50,000 stray dogs since they began

their programme in the city in 1998.

Talking to this correspondent this year, Mr Nath said 8,000 rabid dogs were put

to death under euthanasia and the ABC had brought success to the city in

controlling the stray dogs. He said the population of the dogs was dependant on

the garbage in the city. " If we want to get rid of stray dogs, the corporation

has to clear the garbage scientifically and quickly. Reproduction also

proportionate to the availability of the garbage, " Mr Nath said. He also

suggested that the corporation should have control over 8,000 pet dogs of which

90 per cent of them were not given anti-rabies vaccine.

Recommended Posts