The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 491 stray dogs caught in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 07, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

491 stray dogs caught in city

Staff Reporter

Team from Kerala catches 491 dogs 12 experts from Kerala assist mahanagara palike in the drive

SPEEDY DRIVE: A dog being caught in Malleswaram on Tuesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike's drive to catch street dogs received fresh impetus with the hiring of 12 professionals from the Malabar region of Kerala to pitch in with their skills.

On Tuesday, 491 dogs were caught in an operation that involved stealth, speed, teamwork, steel wire, muzzle and, most importantly, no howls of protest. The professionals, unlike the amateurs who were entrusted with the task on Monday, did their homework by consulting BBMP officials and worked with admirable speed and silence. The dogs were not harmed in any way; nor could they bark and alert their fellow canines two streets away about their impending fate.

Today in Bangalore west, the dogcatchers covered the Munneshwara Block near Malleswaram.

"The main areas which are being targeting are markets, bus stops, railways stations, graveyards, and other areas where the number of dogs is high," Devaki Umesh, Health Officer, Bangalore West, BBMP, told The Hindu .

Asked why the BBMP had to depend on outside help, she said they were professionals trained to catch as many as 50 dogs an hour.

"We pay them Rs. 50 for every dog that is caught. This way the work is done faster and will help us build confidence in us among the public." Asked about charges that collared dogs are being rounded up, Dr. Umesh conceded: "When we catch dogs in packs it happens, but once we realise the dog is owned by somebody, we release it when the identity of the dog or the licence is produced."

Though Dr. Umesh emphasised that only ferocious animas were captured, Chandra, a resident of Munneshwara Block, had a traumatic time when her pet she had taken care of for three years, was caught on Tuesday. But she convinced the catchers that she only had let it out for some exercise and was hugely relieved when they relented and set it free. The dogcatchers found a captive audience in children who watched fascinated as they went about their business. The youngsters were even giving them directions where dogs could be found. So much so they had to be shooed away to prevent them being bitten.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section