Kerala government to tackle street dog menace

With street dog menace in Kerala assuming alarming proportions, the government has worked out a pilot project to rehabilitate stray dogs in a special compound, State Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi Ali told the Assembly today.
The government was aware of the serious threat caused to people by street dogs, Ali said replying to a calling attention motion seeking urgent steps to redress the problem of stray dog menace.
More than 27,800 people have sought treatment for dog bite in various government hospitals in the state in 2013 and Rs 10 crore had been spent on treatment, he said.
Rehabilitation programme was planned in cooperation with the State Forest Department, he said.

Programmes were also on to have sterilisation and mercy killing of rabid dogs, he said, adding, schemes would be worked out with the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Animal Welfare Board.
Moving the motion, P K Basheer (IUML) wanted to change the law that prevent killing of even rabid dogs and said the situation of stray dogs have become so serious that even Assembly complex and MLA hostels were not free from its menace.
Basheer asked the government to find a permanent solution to the problem and said eleven persons died in the state due to dog bite in 2013.

Several MLAs joined Basheer in asking government to take stern action to curb the menace.