In the backdrop of the increasing incidents of attacks by stray dogs and recent reports of rabies deaths, the Kerala government, on Monday, decided to seek the permission of the Supreme Court to kill aggressive and rabies-infected dogs.
Speaking to media persons here, state Minister for Self-Government MB Rajesh said a high-level meeting was convened to discuss the harrowing situation arising from the stray dogs in the state and decided to seek the permission of the Supreme Court as existing laws do not allow the killing of the strays.
Authorities also decided to conduct a mass vaccination programme on animals for birth control from September 20 to October 20. Around 10,000 dogs will be vaccinated per day under the program run by the local authorities. It is estimated that the state has around 3 lakh street dogs.
Rajesh also revealed that a long-term solution for the stray dog menace was also discussed in the meeting, where shelters at panchayat level came out as one of them.
However, the menace has worsened in the state leading to seven deaths in four months from May 2022.
As per a survey by animal husbandry department in 2019, there were around 9 lakh pet animals and 2.8 lakh stray dogs in the state and around 95,000 people suffered dog bites till July this year.
Stray dog and pet population rose in the state by 20% after the pandemic outbreak, say Animal Husbandry Department officials.