Stray dogs still rule the city streets, so...

BBMP extends contract of animal welfare organisations

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has extended the tenure of its contract with the city’s animal welfare organisations, which are involved in catching stray dogs and conducting sterilisation surgeries.

However, the population of stray dogs in the city is still not under control. There have also been several reports of dogs biting and attacking people recently.
The BBMP’s Animal Husbandry Department has delegated the responsibility of conducting the ABC (Animal Birth Control) and ARV (Anti-Rabies Vaccination) drives in the city to animal welfare organisations.

In 2021, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) mandated through a circular that only those organisations that have the approval of the board can conduct ABC programmes.
“It is not sufficient if the organisation is recognised by AWBI. There should be separate permission obtained for ABC,” the BBMP’s Joint Director for Animal Husbandry, Dr T Chandraiah, said.
Currently, none of the NGOs that are carrying out ABC in Bengaluru has the additional approval. Nevertheless, the BBMP observed that the ABC and ARV programmes were essential and could not be stopped. Hence, the tenure of the earlier contract was extended. 
Sarvodaya Animal Welfare operates in the BBMP’s west zone and vaccinates about 1,800 stray dogs every month against rabies.

“The number of birth control surgeries we conduct has been decreasing over the years as we cover the stray dog population in the zone. We are currently operating on about 600 dogs per month,” Akshay B, the manager at Sarvodaya ABC centre, said. 

Radha Amarnath from ASRA Animal Welfare Organisation told News Trail that the AWBI mandated a certain number of staff (including veterinarians) that the NGO must include. “We have recently undergone the inspection and are awaiting approval from AWBI. Meanwhile, we have been receiving complaints and have continued our vaccination and sterilisation activities, “she said.

“Bengaluru also has a small number of NGOs that are engaged in ABC and ARV. Having a good number of animal welfare organisations in the city encourages competition among them, “he said.
The joint commissioner also noted that population control has been more effective in the outer zones of the BBMP as compared to the core areas