Since 2015 when stray dog menace started posing a threat to people, two lakh street dogs were rescued with the aid of municipal corporations and village panchayat officers from across the State. Instead of killing them, the State with the aid of Blue Cross found homes for their stay.
Moreover, a total of one lakh dogs in Hyderabad and adjacent Ranga Reddy district will be sterilised by December end to prevent excessive breeding. With the 25 percent increase in stray dog population, Blue Cross raised funds to implement and execute animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccine programme in focused circles within Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits.
The programme is expected to get results by the end of 2018. In most of the zones under GHMC, 2,500 to 3,000 stray dogs roam the roads till date. Denizens had reported three stray dog menace incidents where children were attacked by the dogs, in 2017 alone. While the last case in June 2017 was near fatal with 11 dogs attacking a child in Amberpet colony, in the first two instances elderly men and women were attacked by dogs.
Dog adoption has become a fad in Hyderabad where the number of dog bites drastically dropped from 50,000 to 30,000 from 2004 to 2017. “GHMC has not been able to curb dog menace since their manpower is low. But at the Blue Cross, a humane approach is taken by dedicated and trained professionals while dealing with stray dogs,” said Amala Akkineni, an animal rights activist.
As per an estimate, GHMC received 150 calls per day regarding stray dog menace in the city. In 2016, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had sterilised 1.6 lakh stray dogs. From June 2017 to May 2018, the number is expected to be close to two lakh. The corporation runs nine animal care centres where strays are kept.
With the assistance of Blue Cross members, the Corporation was able to the give away 10 percent of the animals to the pound last year.
Along with Blue Cross, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals might help in dog adoptions in the coming year.