The Hindu : Front Page : Culling of stray dogs begins in Mysore

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Monday, Mar 05, 2007
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Culling of stray dogs begins in Mysore

Special Correspondent

Five children were bitten by a feral in the city on Saturday

TRAPPED: A stray dog being dragged by a member of the dog squad for culling at Sunnadakeri in Mysore on Sunday. — PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

MYSORE: The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) on Sunday launched an operation to catch and cull stray dogs in the city. Scores of them were put to death in a bid to tackle the "street dog menace".

Lethal injection

Though the officials claimed that only 47 dogs were given the lethal injection, according to eyewitnesses, the number of dogs culled was higher.

The corporation swung into action following Saturday's incident in which a stray dog went on a biting spree at Sunnadakeri and five children had to be treated for injuries. The children aged between five and 12 were bitten by the dog and were treated in a private clinic, while a person was attacked at Sakkali.

Corporation Commissioner Chandrashekar told The Hindu that three dog squads had been pressed into service. They worked throughout the day at Sunnadakeri where the public had panicked following Saturday's incident.

Since this came close on the heels of the death of a boy in Bangalore who was bitten by a pack of stray canines, the authorities acted immediately and rushed to the area with dog squads.

The latter launched the operation at Sunnadakeri around midnight where a few dogs were trapped and culled. While the officials claimed that only ferocious dogs and those displaying signs of rabies were being culled, it was obvious that even the timid and friendly dogs were not spared. The corporation authorities also cracked down on illegal meat outlets at Nanjumalige and Sunnadakeri because the butchers dump mutton and chicken wastes into the gutters. The street dogs feed on them and become ferocious.

Raid

The corporation's raid on illegal mutton shops revealed that many butchers slaughtered the animals on their premises though they did not have licence for it. The animals were taken away and the shops were closed down. Seven meat stalls were closed down at Sunnadakeri and Nanjumalige and eight in other parts of the city.

Focus

The focus was on Sunnadakeri which is among the worst affected area and all drains and garbage bins were cleaned on Sunday.

The other areas where operation against stray dogs commenced included Kakarawadi in K.R. Mohalla, Nazarbad and Chamundi Layout.

Mr. Chandrashekar said the corporation staff had identified areas where there was a proliferation of such shops and would launch a drive against them from Monday.

Operation to continue

The operation against stray dogs will continue for three to four weeks. Officials have estimated that there are 10,000 stray dogs in the city.

According to Mr. Chandrashekar, the operation against stray dogs would be a continuous process and would be taken up in other areas, including Vijayanagar and Gokulam.

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