(IN): Project launched to catch feral dogs in Sikkim

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http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jun1509/ne9

 

Project launched to catch feral dogs in Sikkim

 

GANGTOK, June 14 – With dogs which once lived near army and

paramilitary camps in Sikkim turning feral, attacking and killing wild

animals, the Forest department has launched a project to catch and

sterilise them.

 

Under the project, the Sikkim Anti-Rabies and Animal Health (SARAH)

volunteers in National Parks and reserved forests would catch the dogs

and vaccinate them against rabies, officials said.

 

A SARAH team has gone to forests in North Sikkim at Chungthang and

will later visit Lachen, Lachung and other interior areas in North

Sikkim, the officials said.

 

The Forest authorities are also contemplating use of chemically coated

darts to immobilise the animals.

 

Feral dogs have, in the past, killed and devoured endangered animals

like Red Panda, Musk Deer, Dhorals and also migratory birds.

 

Investigations have revealed that the dogs had turned into killers

after surviving on scraps and leftovers from the army camps.

 

Forest officials said that the dogs, in the wild state, posed not only

threat to animals, but could also transmit diseases like rabies.

 

The population of feral dogs has rapidly grown over the years in the

State, forcing the authorities to carry out a survey to identity their

numbers. – PTI

 

 

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