Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan will open the Animal Birth Control Centre of the Kozhikode Corporation on March 1. The centre, located at Poolakkadavu, has been in the making for over four years.
Corporation veterinary officer V.S. Sreeshma said that there were around 14,000 stray dogs within the city limits according to the corporation’s stray dog census in 2017, and that it might have doubled by now. “We target 500 sterilisations per month. Yet, we will be fully engaged for a few years to eliminate the possibility of stray dog multiplication in the city,” she added.
The centre has facilities to conduct surgeries for five dogs at a time, including pre-operative and post-operative wards with 19 kennels, a preparation room, doctors’ room, sterilisation room, pharmacy, lecture hall, incinerator, waste treatment plant, and a dog van. Four surgeons and an anaesthetist, besides dog catchers, were appointed at the hospital recently.
“Dogs will be caught and brought to the centre where they will be sterilised and kept under antibiotic cover for three to five days. Once the wound is healed, they will be administered anti-rabies vaccine before being dropped back,” She said.
For now, the centre will conduct sterilisation of stray dogs. At the same time, pet dogs can avail medical care at the centre. The facility will cater for Kozhikode city alone for a few years, and the services will be extended to other local bodies later.
Dr. Sreeshma said a multispeciality veterinary hospital had also been proposed along with the ABC Centre. However, work on the ABC centre was expedited as it was an emergency situation. The hospital will take some more time to be completed, she added.