VELLORE : In an effort to effectively control the stray dog menace threatening the population of the city, the Vellore Corporation is mulling setting up of an asylum for strays, Corporation Commissioner Seeni Ajmal Khan said on Tuesday. Relocating stray dogs to distant places was not a good solution, he added. “Taking thousands of dogs to the same place and diverting the problem to that place is wrong. So, we are planning an asylum for stray dogs,” he said.Since the corporation was already burdened with pressing issues like drinking water scarcity, the asylum project might take some time to materialise, he said.There were plans to rope in animal welfare NGOs to set up the asylum. “The plan of asylum stays behind in the priority list. But, an asylum for stray dogs is possible in the near future if Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) joins hands with the Corporation,” the Commissioner said.Recently, dog catchers appointed by the civic body caught 700 stray dogs from Zone 1 - Dharapadavedu. They were later set free in a neighbouring forest area.The Corporation was recently flooded with numerous complaints from people about dog menace and many councillors took up the issue during council meetings.“A private contractor has been engaged to catch the stray dogs that wander in the city. A sum of Rs 100 is spent on catching a dog. Work would continue in Zone 2, 3 and 4 and is expected to be completed within two months,” the Commissioner said. “The issue was much discussed in the recent council meetings, where almost all the 60 ward members of the Vellore Corporation had complained that dogs attacked motorcyclists at nights,” he said.“Apart from the attacks, the stray dogs also pose health hazard to the public. There is also a fear of pet dogs being infected by stray dogs. They become ferocious nowadays, during the summer,” Zone 1 President Sunil Kumar said. “Over 100 persons approach Vellore GH with complaints of dog bite everyday and anti-rabies vaccines are administered to them,” an official of the Vellore General Hospital said. “A person affected with rabies is sure to die. Even licking and minor scratches by a dog should be considered dangerous. And, if a pet dog bites its owner, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. It should be considered an abnormal activity by the pet and the dog should be given treatment. The owner should also be vaccinated,” he added.
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