Kerala - Kochi   

Kumbalanghi to fight dog menace

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, FEB. 10. Kumbalanghi panchayat is planning to vaccinate all the dogs and to issue licences for keeping them as pets. This step is being taken in the light of increasing instances of dog-bites in the panchayat, which has now started attracting tourists.

Kumbalanghi, the first model tourism village to be developed in the nation, is highlighting the conserved ethnicity for promoting the village tourism. The panchayat had to swing to action once the foreign visitors started complaining to their hosts at home-stays about stray dogs. Last month, 16 cases of dog-bites were reported from the panchayat.

The panchayat is planning to hold a series of vaccination camps to cover all the 13 wards. The camp will begin at the veterinary hospital on February 12. Camps will be held on next three days at various parts of the panchayat.

The public has been alerted about the camps through leaflets. A meeting of political leaders and social leaders will be convened after these camps to garner support for the campaign, said M.P. Sivadathan, Kumbalanghi panchayat president.

The panchayat had employed a dogcatcher to nab the stray dogs, citing an order by the then Ombudsman for Local Self-Government Institutions, during September last. Around 500 dogs were killed during that drive.

He had initiated suo motu action in the subject following media reports and ordered the local bodies to "take effective steps for the destruction of the stray dogs."

During the present drive, dog owners should apply for an annual licence along with the certificate of vaccination. The licence will mention breed and colour of the animal. Unlike the last time, dogs even kept inside houses would be seized if their owners fail to produce valid licence issued by the panchayat, said Mr. Sivadathan.

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