Bhubaneswar: Despite Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) best efforts to curb the canine menace in the city an insidious rise in the number of stray dogs is posing a potential health and injury risk to the citizens.
In a 2015 survey done by department of Fisheries & Animal Resources Development, the number of street mongrels was reported to be around 40,000 and it was expected to increase as the city grows. A two-fold increase within the next five years, largely on the outskirts, is estimated.
“A few weeks ago my 12-year-old daughter was bitten by a stray dog while she was playing outside and a few days ago they chew up my car’s bumper,” said Arnab Mohanty, a resident of Sundarpada.
However, Amulya Nayak, who runs a non-governmental organisation (NGO) People for Animal in cooperation with the BMC, said that the sterilisation of these dogs is being done in an organised manner around the city albeit at a slow pace.
“At present, we are neutering 200-300 dogs per month which is low and should be about 1,000 dogs a month for a better control over their growth rate. Usually we identify a few locations and ensure that sterilisation is done in a humane manner,” he added.
Apparently, the BMC that has presumed the issue as more bark than bite, however, has responded that at present its primary focus has shifted to selected areas in the city in view of the ongoing hockey World Cup and .FEST event.
Subhranshu Mishra, official in-charge of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in the BMC, said that they have intensely worked in managing cattle and dogs in areas like Kalinga Stadium, Exhibition Ground and Sachivalaya Marg. “Last November, we sterilised about 600 dogs in these areas,” said Mishra.
However, an animal expert Biswa K Mohanty said that mere sterilisation would not help in their birth control or savage behaviour. “Dogs reproduce 10-12 litters at a time and being a friendly animal it’s usually fed by the people around,” explained Mohanty.
“Neutering these dogs isn’t the only method of checking their growth. People should be made aware not to feed these dogs and to maintain a safe distance from these rabies-infested canines,” Mohanty added.