The Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre and veterinary multi-specialty hospital of the Kozhikode Corporation has completed the vaccination and sterilisation of 5,000 stray dogs within the shortest period in the State. Mayor Thottathil Raveendran announced the landmark achievement on Monday on the occasion of World Rabies Day.
The ABC centre that began at Poolakkadavu in March 2019 completed 5,004 vaccinations and sterilisations as of Monday. The achievement that was planned as part of the Corporation’s Mission 360 to be completed in August got delayed due to the pandemic. “The ABC centre in Thiruvananthapuram is the only one in the State that has passed this landmark earlier. But the centre has been in existence for more than a decade,” said Corporation Secretary Binu Francis.
The ABC assistants associated with the Corporation capture stray dogs from different parts of the city and take them to the centre for surgery. The animals are accommodated at the centre for a week or more to allow them to recuperate and are then let loose at the same place from where they were picked up. “If you find stray dogs with a cut on the ear, it means they have undergone the surgery,” said Mr. Francis.
According to a 2008 census, there were 13,000 stray dogs in the city. The number may have increased to at least 20,000 now. In the last one-and-half years, more than one-third of the stray dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated. “In a year or two, we will be able to sterilise and vaccinate all the stray dogs in the city,” added Mr. Francis.
The Corporation plans to elevate the ABC centre into a training centre for local body workers from other parts of the State. “At present, the nearest training centre is in Ooty. Since we have competent staff and experience, we could train representatives from other local bodies,” said Mr. Francis, adding that the council had approved budget allocation for the same. There are also plans to elevate the centre into a research institute in four to five years’ time.