Killing is not the way for reducing stray dogs

BANGALORE: “The solution to control the stray dog population is not indiscriminate killing rather it should be a step by step process,” said Tollywood actress Amala Akkineni. She was in the city to speak on the issue of dislocation and culling of dogs.The stray dog problem in the city that is fasting becoming an issue of debate and discussion had animal welfare organisations such as The Animal Welfare Board of India, The Voice of Stray Dogs, and Blue Cross India on its toes.These organisations are advocating the need to improve animal birth control and anti-rabies programmes as the methods to address the issue of dog menace in the city.Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, Amla Akkineni, actor and founder of Blue Cross, Hyderabad said, “It is only through well designed programmes such as the Animal Birth Control and Anti Rabies (ABC+AR) that include sterilisation and rabies vaccination that we can move forward.”While responsible participation in maintaining sanitation levels in the city will help Bangalore to free itself from the stray dog menace, she added.“Animal birth control programmes are safer and efficient, that is why even the World Health Organisation and World Society for Protection of Animals have come out with guidelines, in place of mass killing for reducing the dog population,” said Dr S Chinny Krishna of Blue Cross India.If streets of Singapore and Sydney are free of strays, it not because of indiscriminate killing but because of sound public policies adopted to address the issue, he added. Animal birth controlThe primary purpose of the ABC programme is to bring down the increasing number of street dogs in a manner that is not cruel to the animal. But more importantly, it also works towards bringing down the number of cases of rabies in the country. Animal Birth Control programme has been implemented in many parts of the country. BBMP’s stray dog sterilization (ABC-Animal Birth Control) Programme also works towards this.