Puri: The district Veterinary department has launched a sterilisation programme to reduce the number of stray dogs in the Pilgrim city here.
The veterinary officials have sterilised altogether 350 stray canines from October 10 to 20, sources said.
A survey conducted in 2012 had found the presence of altogether 7,000 stray dogs in Puri city and on its outskirts. The number has further gone up within the last seven years, said a source in the district Veterinary department.
According to sources, stray dogs have become a big threat to the safety of locals as well as tourists in the city. Of late, frequent cases of dog bite have been reported from several localities. This apart, many bikers are facing road accidents due to the stray dogs, locals said.
It is worth mentioning here that a four-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs here in 2016.
“We had planned to sterilise at least 250 stray dogs in association with a Kolkata-based voluntary organisation from October 10 to 20. However, we have sterilised 350 stray canines at a farm in Pipli during the period,” said Satyabadi block veterinary officer Bishwaranjan Behera.
The dog sterilisation programme was launched as per the advice of Puri district Collector Balwant Singh and city municipal executive officer Bijay Kumar Dash, Behera added.
“We had captured the dogs from the city beach, bus stand and railway station areas and taken them to Pipli for sterilisation. The canines were released to their respective places after three days,” Behera added.
Puri chief district veterinary officer Pratap Kishore Khamari said they will soon set up a modern operation theatre for dog sterilisation at the city veterinary hospital. “We will conduct dog sterilisation regularly to reduce stray canine population in the city,” Khamari added.